Chronicles of the Fifth Blight
by Cavik96
Summary: 9:30 Dragon. Ferelden is on the brink of a new Blight, and the warriors who can stop it, the Grey Wardens, are at their lowest number. When the order is met by betrayal, its five newest recruits must look past their differences and unite a divided nation, before the Archdemon leads the Darkspawn horde towards the world's destruction.
1. Chapter 1-Life of a Castless

Chapter One-Life of a Castless

**Orzamar, Dust Town, one of the few inhabited houses**

Natia woke up that day as usual. She raised from the floor as usual. And, always as usual, her back was hurting.

"_Damn this floor._" she told herself.

Once she was on her feet, she looked around to see if anyone else was awake.

The bed on which her sister Rica and her mother usually slept was empty, and since the bed had already been put back into order, she assumed Rica was the latter of the two.

"_The old woman couldn't wait to drink again, could she?_" Natia thought to herself bitterly.

Indeed, that was one of the many bitter things Natia thought of her mother. Ever since both Rica and her were children, she had spent most of her time getting drunk and leaving her two daughters to take care of themselves. Despite understanding the need she had to find comfort in the alcohol, Natia never truly forgave her for not being there for them.

In the attempt not to think too much about that, she began to put on her low-quality armor. But while doing so, she heard the door slam open.

"_No._" she thought "_Don't tell me it's..._"

"There you are." the voice of Beraht, the ruthless leader of the Carta crime syndicate, loudly said "And where is your sister? I want both of you here, now!"

"_Shit!_" Natia thought "_Did I sleep so long or did that bastard have nothing better to do this morning?_"

"I'll call her." Rica replied to him "I will take only a minute."

"You had better." Beraht said.

Natia hurried finishing dressing up and, when Rica arrived, she only had to put on her gloves.

"Natia, are you...?" the older sister asked as she opened the door.

"I'm here, Rica." Natia replied "Just give me a second to put on my gl..."

"You'll put them on later." Rica cut her off while grabbing her hand and pulling her out "Come on, come."

A minute later, they were in what could be considered the living room: a hole with just a few chairs and a table. And Beraht waiting on one of those chairs.

Ever since the two sisters were very young, Beraht and its Carta had been the only constant in it. He had been the only one to show interest into Natia's skills and had decided to recruit her into his smuggling ring as an enforcer.

But the relation between the two had never been harmonious. Beraht always kept Natia on a tight leash and threatened her family to make sure she'd neither disobey nor fail. Natia, on the other hand, detested being the stooge of someone that bossed her around and treated her like a dog. And the relation between the two had only worsened when Beraht had demanded Rica's service as noble huntress.

Despite the mutual distaste, the two had never parted ways. Natia, because she had no other choice. Beraht, because he found Natia and Rica too useful to dispose of. Until now.

"About time you arrived." he said.

Natia had to restrain herself from insulting him: "Sorry, but I think you got here a bit earlier than usual."

"Then perhaps you two have got to work harder if you wish that kind of comfort."

"What do you mean?" Natia said "We've done as you said. As always."

"I think he's referring mostly to me." Rica, who had sat on a nearby chair, interrupted her.

"Exactly." Beraht commented.

"Why? What did she do?"

"Nothing. And _that_ is the problem. Lately, my investment on her hasn't born much fruit."

"_Investment._" Natia thought to herself "_Sodding son of a..._"

"She has been hanging around in search of a noble for weeks now, and without any real success. I'm starting to think I'd better get rid of you all."

"Actually..." Rica started "...I may have found someone."

"Oh?" the now intrigued Beraht said "And how is it I haven't been informed earlier?"

"It is nothing concrete yet. I met him a few days ago. Nothing has happened, but he seemed interested."

"You see, Beraht?" Natia said in an attempt to support her sister "Rica has got the noble, he will get his heir and you will get your noble status. Just give me my assignment for today."

Beraht snorted: "Your buddy Leske is waiting outside. He'll have the details you need."

"_Hopefully, he won't be in a flirting mood today._" Natia thought.

"See that you don't screw this up." Beraht warned "Because your family is not in my good grace right now." and then he left.

Once he was out, Rica told Natia: "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"And I'm sorry to have slept so much that you got barked at by that pig."

"Don't worry. I got used to it by now."

"Still, I detest how he treats you." Natia angrily commented "Like his little whore that should do everything he says..."

"You know as well as me that our only options to this are cleaning the streets, begging or going to the surface. Or you exterminating the darkspawn and becoming a Paragon."

Natia chuckled at that.

"What?" Rica asked.

"Nothing. It's just very unlikely those bastards of the assembly will ever make a castless a Paragon."

"It wouldn't be the first time, you know. There have been many that were from humble origins."

"Keep dreaming, Rica. Keep dreaming."

"For as long as I can, I will. I have to."

"Wish I shared the sentiment. I really do."

Natia then turned back to the bedroom and said: "We'd better get ready before Beraht comes back to complain of us wasting his time."

"Right." Rica replied in a sigh, before going to put on her dress.

Once Natia had put on her gloves and gathered her knives, she gave her sister one last farewell: "See you this evening Rica. Tell mother I said "hello". If she is sober enough to understand."

"I will." Rica sighed "Bye."

And, after that, Natia left.

* * *

Once outside, Natia had a look around and then managed to spot Leske, her one friend in her job as a Carta enforcer.

"Well, about sodding time." he cheerfully said as soon as Natia reached him "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, just finishing dressing up." Natia replied "Beraht got in the way of that."

"I bet. Wouldn't have been bad to come in there, though. Even just to eye that beauty of your sister."

"_Here we go again._" Natia thought while rolling her eyes.

"You know I don't like when you talk about her like that."

"What? Jealous?" Leske joked.

"You wish." Natia shot back. "So...what's the job today?"

"Boss says we're out for a search-and-discipline." Leske explained, his tone back to serious "One of his surface smugglers is holding out to him. His name is Oskias, and Beraht got word he's been selling some shipments topside that never made it to his ear."

"What sort of shipments?"

"Don't know. But I guess the usual things Beraht could cut heads to get: gold, spice, lyrium..."

"All right, and once we find him?"

"Well, if he truly cheated Beraht, we just kill him. Otherwise, we leave him be."

As the words "kill him" left Leske's mouth, unrest began to rise behind Natia's stoic face.

"Are these measures really necessary?" she asked.

"Of course." Leske replied "As far as I've heard, nobody's ever swindled Beraht and lived."

Natia rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Come on." Leske told her "You can feel bad later."

"Alright." Natia replied "Where can we find him?"

"No idea. Only thing I was told was "find him". But I guess we could start from the Commons. Maybe someone at Tapster's Tavern saw him."

"Good idea. Let's start from there." and they both moved away.

* * *

A couple hours later, they arrived at the tavern's entrance, ignoring all the grim looks they obtained from the other dwarves, and got in.

Once inside, they went to the bartender, who, as soon as he saw them, said: "No castless in here. Get lost."

"I don't really think you know who we work for." Natia replied.

"Maybe you should try to have another look." Leske added.

"Oh..." the bartender said as he realized who he was talking to "You work for Beraht, don't you?"

They both nodded, but only Leske smiled.

"So, uh...who did what?"

"A surfacer named Oskias." Natia replied "Beraht suspects he's..."

"Don't say anything else. I don't think I wanna know the rest."

"_Smart._"

"He's over there." the bartender pointed a table on the other side of the tavern, where a brown-haired man was sitting.

"You...do what you have to." he added "Just...try to keep this neat."

"Very well." Natia replied.

Before leaving, however, Natia noticed the bottles nearby and asked, with a hopeful tone: "Any chance you could serve us some ale first?"

"Beraht or no, you still have to pay for that. You have the coins?"

"Ehm...no."

"Then no ale."

"_Sod it. I'll have to do this sober._"

"Well, time to have a chat with him." Leske said "Let's go."

While the two approached the surface's table, Leske teased Natia with: "Thirsty, were you?"

"At least if I were drunk this would be more bearable."

"Nah, I know you. You'd just get twitchy and would make no difference."

"Thanks for the word of comfort, Lesk." Natia replied with irony evident on her face.

"Anytime, Natia."

One moment later, they were both just next to Oskias' table, where there were also a couple of bags near the guy and an empty seat right in front of him.

"There he is." Leske whispered "What are your thoughts of him?"

"He doesn't look like a tough guy to me." Natia observed "You?"

"Me neither."

"Maybe if we scare him a bit, it'll be enough to make him admit the truth. That way we can avoid a fuss."

"Any suggestion?"

"If I distract him by seating on that chair." she pointed the empty seat "You sneak behind him and then tell him we know who he is."

"Why me?"

"Because you're bigger and scarier than me?" Natia joked, making her buddy have a short chuckle.

"Alright, salroka." he then said "Let's do it."

With that said, the two split up and did as they agreed.

"Hey, I was saving that seat!" Oskias protested as soon as Natia sat.

"That's real thoughtful, Oskias." Leske replied after reaching the table "It's tiring work looking for you."

"H...how do you know my name?" the smuggler frantically replied.

"Let's just say we have a common acquaintance, a powerful one, and we're trying to save you from making a mistake." Natia answered for her friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You mut have the wrong guy. You see, I'm usually on the surface and..."

"And the Oskias we're looking for is exactly most of the time on the surface."

"Yup." Leske added "The turncoat, two-faced swindling duster Beraht told us about."

Oskias' eyes filled with realization as Leske spoke.

"I..." he began even more frantically "I swear I didn't do anything! Beraht's got no reason to send you after me!"

"If that were the case..." Natia observed "...you wouldn't be so afraid."

"I just...don't want anyone to do anything too hasty."

"Yeah, sure." Natia said, sounding unconvinced "What did you take from him?"

"And before you answer..." Leske added "...Beraht knows _someone_ is cheating him. And his tips point at you."

"I...I...I..." the surfacer babbled.

"Leske?" Natia turned to her friend "Would you check his bags?"

"My pleasure." he replied as he lowered on his knees to do so.

"Wait!" Oskias interrupted "I...I do have something."

The smuggler took a sachet and gave it to Natia. The girl opened it and found two nuggets of pure lyrium. Her surprise was matched only by Oskias' fear.

"You know how suicidal what you did was, right?"

"I was going to bring Beraht his cut for this! I swear!"

"You still took Beraht's property." Natia said while taking away the sachet "Something he doesn't want anyone to do." Oskias' eyes filled with terror as Natia closed hers, closed her hand in a grip and sighed, before continuing with: "You know what sort of punishment it takes."

"Could everyone who isn't about to die please turn around for a moment?" Leske loudly said to the crowd around "This may be unpleasant."

As soon as he said that, all customers who were in the nearest tables either turned away their gazes or left. "Thank you."

"Y...you can't do this!" Oskias said in utter panic "Help!" he shouted around "Call the guardsmen! This is murder!"

"You two let me know if you need anything." the bartender told Leske and Natia from another point of the tavern "I'll be in the back." and he left as well.

"It's just a bunch of rocks!" Oskias desperately told Natia "You're going to kill me for _that_?"

"I wish I didn't have to." Natia admitted after another sigh "But Beraht is Beraht. If I don't, I'm dead, along with my family."

"Then, let's make a deal: let me go, and Beraht will never hear of me again. I'll even give you the lyrium for this!"

"I do that and he finds out, it will be the end for several people."

"He won't, I promise! I'll get out of the business, start a shop, anything!"

Natia's face remained neutral.

"Please." Oskias added "What would you do if it was you?"

Natia left a deeper sigh. She looked at Leske, who shook his head a little, and then turned again to Oskias.

"_What _I_ would do._" she thought "_Exactly what I always wondered every time someone like you stood before me."_

She remained still, reflecting on what to do, and ultimately said: "The official version is this: you tried to buy our help with the lyrium and place us in the business. We were supposed to meet in the lava sinks behind the mines to make the final arrangements, but instead we threw you in the lava. Understand?"

"Uh...yes. I think I do."

"Good. Now leave before I have a change of heart."

Oskias rose from the table, told Natia: "Thank you. May the Ancestors bless your steps." and then ran away.

Natia also rose from the seat and approached Leske.

"Go ahead." she told him "I know you're thinking it."

Leske asked in response: "What?"

""You softie!""

"Actually, I was wondering: "was that smart"? If Beraht finds out he'll make us kill each other and stew what's left of us to feed the poors."

"Why do you think I said that story?" Natia replied "It's what we'll tell him if "He's dead. Don't worry." won't be enough for him."

"And if he doesn't buy it?"

"Why wouldn't him? What of it would suggest we're lying?"

"Well...the fact that you don't like each other?" Leske joked, in response of which Natia crossed her arms and began glaring at Leske.

"Oh, don't give me that look. You know it's true."

"And that wasn't as funny as you thought, I believe."

"Alright, alright, I take it back. Though I still think your conscience may have misguided you this time."

"Well, either way it's too late to change our minds. Oskias is probably halfway to the surface right now. And we had better get going before Beraht starts wondering where we are."

"Right." Leske commented "Lead the way."

* * *

Once out of the tavern, the two headed to Beraht's shop, which was, luckily for them, not too far.

But once inside, they saw that Beraht wasn't alone: there was also his second-in-command, Jarvia, who, unlike him, _was_ a castless, but that did not make her any gentler than Beraht.

The two Carta leaders were having a discussion but they stopped once Natia and Leske got in.

"About time." Beraht told the two "What happened with Oskias?"

"As it turned out, he _was_ cheating you, Beraht. Here's the proof." Natia replied as she handed Beraht the sachet with the nuggets.

As the crime boss examined the content of the sachet, he commented: "This is all he had?"

"Everything we found, yes." Leske replied.

"I guess the duster kept his main stash topside. And Oskias himself?"

"Dead." Natia replied.

"Is that so? Because, you see, my cousin was at the Tapsters this morning. He claims something changed hands between you and Oskias and then the duster stood up and walked away. Jarvia." he turned to his lieutenant "What does that sound like?"

"Sounds like some jumped-up-face-brand thought they could take a bribe and let him walk free." the woman replied.

"And I'm sure you know not to disagree with a lady." Beraht added.

"Oh, I don't." Natia began "In fact, that was how it was supposed to look like. Killing him in public seemed like a longshot, so we decided to lure him somewhere more...private."

"We told the duster we'd be helping him in exchange for the lyrium and then threw him in the lava sinks behind the mines." Leske explained "You won't see him again."

"Hmmm." Beraht snorted "I don't like looking weak...but it's smart keeping a low profile from the higher castes. Good work."

Natia and Leske turned to leave, but were stopped by Beraht's "Don't go anywhere. I've got another job for you."

As the two dusters returned to their positions, he began: "The Warrior Caste is housing a Proving later this afternoon."

"You mean those tournaments "may the best win" they usually do for special occasions?" Natia asked.

"Exactly. They're all showing off for some Grey Warden who wants to pick recruits for a life of eternal glory. And, as you can immagine, bets and money run a lot in these occasions. The most favoured fighter is named Mainar, some veteran of four darkspawn campaigns. On the other hand, there's Everd, a longshot young buck who just returned from a Deep Road offensive and has all the ladies drooling."

"And you want us to make sure he wins?" Natia asked, with an arched eyebrow.

"Exactly. So, since the fights are announced only to the fighters, find Everd, see who he's fighting and when. And when the name Mainar shows up, put this drug into the bastard's water." and he handed Natia a small vial.

"Won't the effects be noticed?" she asked.

"You think you're talking to some amature?" was Beraht's harsh reply "His reflexes will be slowed just enough to take the edge off but not enough to be noticed. But use it only just before the fight. It wears off quickly."

"Alright. We'll get in position immediately."

"This is your pass to get on the grounds." Jarvia replied as she handed Natia a badge.

"And remember" Beraht added "I've got a lot of coins on this. If I don't see Everd's name on the winner's sheet, you'd better make sure I don't see you two, or Rica, ever again. Clear?"

"Aye, boss." Leske replied for them both.

The two Carta enforcers then left and headed to the Proving grounds.


	2. Chapter 2-The Provings

**Hello, dear readers! I know, it's been a while since I released the previous chapter, but I've had issues of my own that prevented me from writing on this. With that said, I'd like to thank FalconHawk and Hitokiri Akins for their input on what I did wrong in the first chapter. If you go back, you'll see I've applied some changes to that chapter. If now it's better, the merit algo goes to them. Thanks also to AeriShadow for his review.**

**With that said, it's time for me to unleash this new chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Two-The Provings

"Do you ever wonder why some jobs fall on us, Leske?" Natia asked to her friend as the two approached the arena of the Provings.

"Why?"

"I'm getting a feeling Beraht is trying to get rid of us with this job. Seriously, if we're caught drugging a warrior how bad can it get?"

"Well, call me an optimist but I think everyone will be too busy impressing the Warden to notice us. Besides, with these badges we should be safe."

"I hope you're right."

With that said, the two enforcers reached the entrance to the arena.

"Turn around, brands. No castless on the grounds." one of the guards there greeted them.

"We're authorized to be here." Natia replied "Here's the proof." and she gave the guard her badge.

The man had a quick but thorough look at it, after which he said: "It looks...legitimate. Who gave you this?"

"It's unimportant." Natia tried to reply "Can we pass?"

The guardsman muttered something incomprehensible but then he stepped aside and told the two: "You can enter, but stick to the trenches. The Warden doesn't need to have you in her sight."

"Thank you." Leske sarcastically replied, gaining a murderous glare from the guard.

From there, the two dwarves proceeded inside the arena of the Provings.

The inside was something that amazed Natia: all around there were statues of dwarven warriors, very huge, very shinning and amazing to look at. Each warrior's statue stood in a position that showed strenght, with huge weapons kept raised in victorious stances.

However, the duo had no time to waste observing those statues. They had to head straight for the dressing rooms of the fighters.

"So what's the plan now, salroka?" Leske asked to her friend.

"We need to figure out where we can find Everd and slip into his room while he's out to check his schedule for the matches." Natia replied.

"Well, if I remember correctly there are two chambers for the dressing rooms: one after a corridor on the left of the ring's entrance and one after a corridor on the right."

"Shall we split up and find out where his schedule is?"

"Good idea. I'll take the corridor on the left, you take the one on the right?"

"Alright. Let's go before they start."

The two then separated and did as agreed.

* * *

Natia went through the corridor she had chosen, but a surprise was waiting for her at the end of it: right at the entrance of the chamber of the dressing rooms stood a giant woman, with dark gray skin, a pair of pointed hears, black hairs and a couple of horns jutting from her forehead and circling to the back of her head. She was about twice as tall as a regular dwarven woman, wore an armor consisting of armored pants and boots and an upper part that seemed made of leather with metallic plates covering her chest and back, with two griffons marked on the pectoral, and carried a longsword and a staff on her back.

The giantess was leaning on one of the walls of the corridors and kept a studying look to the various doors and people within the chamber.

Hoping that the strange-looking woman was unaware of Orammar's tradition to mark the castles and despite her own worry of the giantess, Natia approached her to ask if she knew where she could find Everd.

"Hello." Natia said.

The giantess turned, revealing a pair of dark gray eyes.

"Greetings." the giantess replied, arching an eyebrow in the process.

Between babbles, Natia tried to say: "So, ehm...I wanted to...ask...if...if...if you know where...where I can find one of...of the..."

"You don't need to be so scared girl." the giantess cut her off.

"Sorry." Natia replied "It's just...I never saw someone like you and...well..."

"I look frightening." the giantess replied calmly.

Natia considered lying at first, but something in the giantess' calmness swayed her to say: "Yes."

The giantess sighed and then explained: "It isn't only you. Even on the surface, my kind is looked at with fear and suspicious by all other races. Much as you castless are looked down by the nobles."

"_Uh-oh._" was Natia's first thought at hearing that observation.

"With that said." the giantess continued "Would you tell me how you entered this arena and why?"

Afraid to compromise her mission there, Natia opted to make something up: "Well, I'm actually from the surface. The brand here..." she indicated it with her fingers "...is practically just for show. And through a friend I got this." she took the badge Beraht gave her and showed it to her.

The giantess had a quick look at the badge, then she turned her gaze to Natia and appeared to be examining her from top to bottom.

Natia tried to appear calm but behind that calmness, she became more and more nervous as she was observed by the giantess.

If she had found something suspicious about Natia, however, she didn't tell.

"Well, just remember to show that badge, then."

After another moment of silence, the giantess also asked: "So what did you want to know?"

Natia almost face palmed herself, remembering why she had approached the giantess in the first place.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find one of the competitors: Everd."

"That weasel?" the giantess replied surprised, almost amused "If you have money on him, I'd suggest to call off the bet."

That remark confused Natia: "Why?"

"I saw him heading there." she gestured to a door on the other side of the room "He was trying to hide a bottle he was carrying. With poor results."

At hearing that, Natia's eyes widened for the bad news.

"And why would he...?" she asked.

"I guess whoever he's going to fight at his bout is someone so tough he's scared." the giantess replied with a grin "If he's going to drink the whole bottle, he probably won't show up entirely sober."

Natia gulped at hearing that observation

The giantess apparently didn't notice that and told the young dwarf: "Now I should go before prince Duran comes looking for me."

Hearing that name apparently aroused Natia from her shock.

"Wait...what?" she said.

"Prince Duran. One of your king's sons. He organized this Proving for me."

Initially, Natia remained confused by that statement, but then she realized what she meant: "_You_ are the Grey Warden."

"Exactly." She then also gestured to the mark on her pectoral "This is our symbol. If you ever see an armor with it, it probably means the one wearing it is one of us."

With that said, the giantess lastly added: "Stone watch over you, as you dwarves say." and then left.

At the realization that she had just spoken with a Warden without even realizing, Natia remained shocked.

That state of shock lasted for a few minutes, until it was interrupted by Leske's voice: "Hello there. Are you still with us?"

In response, Natia blinked as she registered what had just happened and told her buddy: "Y...yes. Everything's fine."

"Really?" Leske replied in a sarcastic tone "Because to me it seems you just had the honor of meeting one of the fearsome Qunari."

Now Natia was all the more confused: "Qunari?"

"That giant gal you just talked to? Her race is called that. Saw a couple down here some years back."

"You...saw them?"

Leske grinned as he replied: "Not many, but it takes only a moment to notice the big horns and those very very long legs."

At hearing that, Natia could not help but tell him: "Watch out with her. Apparently she's the Grey Warden everyone is so hipped about."

"Really? Oh well, too out of my league."

The two friends had a quick laugh, but then Natia's face turned back to serious as she told Leske: "On a more serious tone, we've got a problem."

Leske's mood also turned back to serious: "What? Did Everd quit?"

"Worse. The Warden said she had spotted him carrying a bottle to his room."

"Oh, sod."

The two Carta enforcers then rushed to Everd's room.

At their shock, there was a senseless muttering coming from the inside.

"Only one bottle?" Leske asked.

"That she saw."

After the brief exchange they opened the door, got in and then sealed the door behind them.

As they were dreading, the dwarf that probably was Everd was laying on the floor, gesturing his arms in a weird way and causing the muttering they'd heard outside.

"Sod it!" was the first thing Leske could think at seeing that "He's so drunk, even a dead man could beat him!"

Natia, on the other hand, looked at the various bottle that were in the room: a handful on a table, the rest rolling close to Everd. Even she could not keep a disapproving comment: "About to fight in a tournament for honor and he gets drunk. What the hell was he thinking?"

"I guess he wanted to deal with the anxiety." Leske replied before sighing: "What do we do now?"

"The only thing I can suggest is grab what we can, take Rica and my mother and pay a voyage to the surface. Where Beraht can't get us."

"I see your point. We probably should do that, unless..." Leske's voice trailed off, then his eyes widened and then he moved his sight to Everd's armor, then to Natia and then back to the armor as he began smirking again.

"Unless what?" Natia called to him "What's on your mind?"

"You know...I might know how we can get out of this alive."

"How?"

"Well, the one who fights in that pit has to do it in Everd's name, but it doesn't necessarily have to be Everd the one fighting."

Natia then realized where her friend was going: "So you want one of us to...put on that armor, pretend to be Everd, fight in the Proving and win?"

"Exactly."

At hearing that plan, Natia felt unsure whether she had to punch Leske's face or kick his balls.

"Are you crazy?" she almost shouted "If the guards catch us, they'll skin us alive!"

"And if we don't, Beraht will be the one doing the skinning." Leske replied calmly.

"And who are you suggesting does this?" Natia asked with annoyance in her voice.

"Well, since you always said you were the better one and Everd's size is closer to yours..."

"No." Natia cut him off "Absolutely no."

* * *

"You'll see, Warden." prince Duran told his guest "Orzammar's warriors are the most experienced in fighting darkspawn. Whoever wins this Proving will be the best possible recruit you could ask for."

"We'll see." Warden Abana replied "It'll take more than simple experience to fight an Archdemon."

"That I don't doubt. But surely an extra hand for the other spawns never hurts."

"That is true." Abana conceded.

"Excuse me. Grey Warden. Lord Aeducan." the Proving master said to the two, interrupting them "I believe it is time to begin. Lord Aeducan, may I have you at the stage?"

"Duty calls." Duran said ironically to the Grey Warden before he followed the Proving master.

A moment later, the prince was announcing: "Gentlemen and ladies! That of today is a glory Proving to honor our guest, Grey Warden Abana."

The crowd all but shouted in exhilaration at hearing the announcement.

"Today the best Orzammar has to offer shall stand in this very arena and prove their worth. The winner of this Proving will prove to us all the favor of our Ancestors placed on him and shall become our newest champion amongst the Grey Wardens themselves."

Another, more intense, roar of excitement was heard throughout the arena.

"And now...let the first bout of this Proving begin!"

At that, the spectators lost it and went wide.

With a lower tone of voice, prince Duran turned to the Proving master and told him: "I think you can take it from here."

"Of course, my lord." the older dwarf replied.

With that said, the royal dwarf took his seat next to the Warden.

"Your people really love these tournaments of yours." Abana commented as she observed the first two dwarves that were presented in the arena.

"Is it that different on the surface?" a curious Duran asked at hearing that.

"Some countries do make tournaments like this one. Though they don't give them as much religious importance as you do."

"First warrior to fall is vanquished!" the loud voice of the Proving master covered the two's discussion "FIGHT!"

For the first two bouts, Warden Abana remained quiet, as she observed the various competitors battling for victory.

The first four competitors were mostly as she expected: warriors taught to base their fighting style on brute force but with little strategy. Though they were still fierce competitors, they weren't much more skilled than a regular human soldier. They made up for that with their experience in battling the darkspawn every day, but still they weren't anything too impressive.

In the break between the second bout and the third, prince Duran asked his guest: "So, what do you think so far?"

Abana, attempting not to sound too cynical, answered: "Well, they all are tenacious, apparently. I can see Orzammar teaches its soldiers well."

The prince smiled at that: "Thank you. Though, I'd wager money one of the competitors of the next bout is going to be your recruit."

Abana arched an eyebrow at that comment: "Why is that?"

"This competitor I'm talking about is officer Mainar. He is a veteran of several skirmishes in the Deep Roads and one of the fiercest warriors battling in this Proving. There are others as impressive, but I strongly believe _he_ is going to win."

Abana, remembering that lord Aeducan didn't give away praise easily, remained curious to see the skills this Mainar was going to show. And even a bit excited.

"Who is he going to fight?" she also asked.

"The warrior Everd."

At hearing that name, Abana remembered seeing that same person taking a bottle to his chamber and lost a part of her excitement, her face darkening a little. Prince Duran probably noticed that, as he asked: "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing at the moment." she replied, hiding her disappointment.

A few minutes later, it was already time to start with the third bout.

As the dwarven prince had announced earlier, the two fighters that were presented in the arena were Mainar and Everd.

But to Abana's surprise, Everd was not shaking or showing any sign of drunkenness in his posture.

"This is strange." The Warden heard Duran say and, as she turned to him, she noticed he had arched an eyebrow.

"What is strange?" she asked him.

"I've seen Everd fight." the prince explained "He usually used an axe or a mace, but he always accompanied them with a shield."

At hearing that, Abana had a better look at the dwarven warrior and saw that he was indeed carrying a mace, but he was accompanying it with a dagger instead of a shield.

"First warrior to fall is vanquished." The Proving master declared "FIGHT!"

As soon as that was said, Mainar made to charge at his opponent, but Everd acted more quickly as he took his mace and used the hilt to parry Mainar's attack.

Mainar tried to retaliate with a bash of his shield, but Everd easily dodged it and retorted by striking with his weapon into Mainar's left ribs.

Mainar's armor took most of the damage, but it was clear he had felt the strength behind the strike. Mainar, however, made no big deal out of it and resumed fighting.

As the fight went on, Abana came closer to Duran and whispered to him: "Something you should know, your lordship: I had seen Everd carrying a bottle of wine to his chamber. I was expecting him to be half-drunk by the start of his round, but to me he seems to be perfectly sober right now."

Duran nodded to indicate he had understood, but did not reply and furrowed his beard as he watched the fight, his eyes scanning every move of the two warriors in the arena.

Meanwhile, Everd had managed to disarm Mainar from his mace, leaving him only his shield.

Mainar then tried to regain the advantage by charging right into Everd's chest with the shield.

This time, Everd failed to avoid the hit and was sent to the ground, his helmet partially tossed away as it revealed the warrior's chin.

Everd, however, did not show to have suffered too much from the hit, as he quickly adjusted his helmet and rose back to his feet, drawing his dagger in a reversed grip.

"Did you see that?" Duran asked the Grey Warden.

"What?"

"The way Everd adjusted his helmet. It was the first thing he did and he did it too urgently for a man with nothing to hide." he explained "Besides, I'm noticing that this guy is fighting differently from Everd. Besides the dagger instead of the shield, the real Everd would be too slow to avoid so many hits."

"So we are dealing with an imposter." Abana commented.

"Yeah. Maybe Everd's second trying to preserve his good name and honor."

Even though she nodded at the observation, the revelation reminded her of the castless girl she had met before the Proving's beginning and began to wonder if this wasn't all a plot from the Carta.

At the same time, down in the arena, Everd parried another of Mainar's bashes with his mace, then he swang behind Mainar's back and managed to plant his dagger between the plates that covered the shoulder of Mainar's shield-arm.

Mainar shouted in pain and knelt as he tried to reach his wounded shoulder with the other hand.

With one arm unusable, Mainar remained with no choice but to yield.

In response to his surrender, the crowd began to cheer for Everd's victory, and the warrior himself raised his mace in victory.

"Well, what do you think, Warden?" Duran asked.

"Everd or not, he won. Fair and square. And this Proving is about that, is it not?"

"Yes, of course." the prince took a pause before raising the matter that concerned him the most "So, do you think you might recruit him?"

"Possibly." Abana replied, her voice as neutral as always "It all depends on how he goes in the next bouts. Is that an issue?"

"No. Just...well" lord Aeducan made sure the Proving master wasn't listening and then began whispering "I'm just hoping that man is from the warrior caste. Because the punishment for impersonating a higher caste is usually death, and I wouldn't want to see such a good fighter being executed for being born in the wrong caste."

At hearing that explanation, Abana arched an eyebrow: "Did you just say "wrong caste"?"

"Yes." the prince admitted "The caste system isn't as flawless as most of my fellows believe. Sometimes being the son of a smith or the daughter of a merchant doesn't mean you're always fit for that."

In response, Abana whispered back: "Then you'll probably agree it's best if you keep your men ready to intervene. In case "Everd" loses his helmet."

"Agreed." The prince replied "I'll have a word with my second. I'll also have a guard placed in front of his room during the final bout."

"Good."

* * *

In the following hours, "Everd" quickly achieved a place in the final bout, managing to defeat several veteran warriors and even one of the fearsome Silent Sisters. And the more victories he collected, the more the crowd became excited at his performances. Now there was but one opponent that stood between him and victory.

"And so the time has finally come!" the Proving master announced "The final bout is upon us!"

Behind him, the giant Warden whispered to prince Duran: "Is your man in position?"

"He is." the dwarf whispered back.

"And now..." the Proving master continued "The warrior Everd versus..."

Unfortunately, that phrase was never completed. At the exact same time another dwarf entered the ring. This one was dressed in normal robes and was staggering as he walked, clearly drunk. He was also muttering something that could not be understood from the podium.

"Who are you?" the Proving master shouted outraged "How dare you interrupt this sacred...?"

"Hey!" the drunk shouted, finally saying something clear: "That's my armor!" he was pointing to Everd.

A shout of shock sprang from every seat across the arena.

"My lord." The Proving master turned to Duran: "Is that man...?"

"Yes." the prince stated as his studious look and that of the Warden went from Everd to his imposter again and again.

The Proving master then turned to the imposter: "Remove your helmet, warrior." he ordered from above "And let all see your face."

The voice that came from behind Everd's helmet was that of a woman who poorly tried to sound like a man: "That guy's lying. _I_ am Everd!"

"No, you are not." it was now prince Duran who talked "Remove the helmet or I'll be forced to have the guards remove it for you." he added with a severe tone.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, a series of guards, armed with shields and maces or axes, began surrounding the imposter.

With no more options to maintain her sharade, the woman hesitantly removed her helmet and then let it fall to the ground, with cries of anger rising from all over the arena.

Warden Abana took a reflective stance at finally seeing the imposter's face, with curiosity in her eyes as she recognized her. Prince Duran, on the other hand, remained utterly shocked by surprise. The woman looked very young, little more than twenty. Her face had a surprising circular form, her hairs were cut very short and were of a color of red close to brown. But the trait that surprised him the most, the trait that all the spectators were yelling at, was the S-like mark on her right cheek.

"Castless!" the Proving master suddenly shouted "You insult the very nature of this Proving!"

Regaining from his surprise, Duran had a quick look at the Warden, who nodded at him and then he told the guards: "Seize her. I want her escorted to the palace for trial."

Obeying the order from their lord, two guards began approaching the castless girl, who had been staring around the arena ever since taking off the helmet, from behind.

As one of the two tried to grab one of her arms, she nudged him, grabbed her dagger and turned to the two, taking a guard stance.

Another guard tried to surprise her from behind with his axe, but the castless quickly parried the hit and gave him a punch in the balls.

As the dwarf kneeled from the pain, the girl kicked him aside and grabbed his axe.

More of the guards tried to attack her, but she either dodged their attacks or used her own weapons to deviate them and counterattacking with punches, kicks and nudges.

As this melee went on under everyone's eyes, Duran at some point heard the Warden muttering something in a language he didn't know. He turned to her to see she was also gesturing her hands and a blue light was forming within her hands, while her eyes were focused on the castless.

At some point, the Warden's muttering ended and then the light left her hands and headed to the castless.

As it touched her, ice formed around the girl's entire body, making any kind of movement impossible. The guards stepped away from her for the shock of this event.

"By the stone, Warden!" the Proving master exclaimed before Duran could "What have you done?"

"An ice spell. Had to make it stronger due to dwarven resistance to magic. It will wear off soon, but for now she's safe to carry."

"Then we will." the prince replied "Guards!" he shouted to his men "Take her to the palace!"

Four men approached the ice statue, grabbed her arms and legs and took her away.

"I'm sorry for this turn of events, lord Aeducan." the Proving master told Duran "I never would have thought a castless would dare..."

"It doesn't matter now." the prince cut him off "We must figure out how she got into the arena and if she came alone or not."

"I'll have all spectators be checked for cast and family names."

"Yes, do that."


	3. Chapter 3-Captivity

**Hello guys and welcome to a new chapter of "Chronicles of the Fifth Blight". Sorry about the taking so long, but I've started university recently and was unable to work properly on it. Again, I'd like to thank FalconHawk and Hitokiri Akins for their reviews. With that said, enjoy the read.**

* * *

Chapter Three-Captivity

As Natia regained her consciousness, the first thing that came to her mind was surprise at still being alive after being unmasked while impersonating Everd.

However, just because she was still alive, it did not mean she was out of trouble yet.

She opted to assess her surroundings and was able to realize two things: one, even though she still felt cold, there was no more ice on her; two, wherever she was, it was in a cell.

"_I'll cut out your tongue next time you propose a suicidal plan, Leske._" she bitterly thought as she did so.

The first thing she realized while trying to get up, was the wierd stone-construct around her hands that kept them tied together, making any action with them impossible.

Had she had time, she may have found a way to break free, but that was not to be.

Soon after, the door of her cell opened and the Qunari Warden and the blonde man who had ordered her capture, who also had to be the "prince Duran" the Warden said she was with, walked in, arms crossed behind their backs.

As the two positioned around her, she grunted: "What do you want?"

"Given the circumstances, this may sound strange." the blonde replied "But we want to help you."

"Help _me_?" Natia retorted sarcastically "One who is by now probably on top of everyone's "people to kill" list? Sure..."

The dwarven prince did not reply. Instead, the Warden intervened: "We met before the start of the Provings. Do you remember that?"

Natia turned her face to her and then answered: "Yes." she also added sarcastically: "By the way, thanks for that...thing you did in the arena. I think some of my blood is still frozen."

The Warden ignored the sarcasm: "You are not from the surface, as you claimed. Your brand looked too pale to be recent."

Natia replied with an odd look, to which the Warden said: "I've seen plenty of dwarves in my life. I can tell such things from a thousand miles away."

"We found your equipment in Everd's quarters." the prince continued "It was nothing extraordinary, but also nothing you could have afforded on your own."

"That means someone has given them to you." the Warden added "Someone who also gave you that badge."

Natia glanced at them both, but nothing came out of her mouth.

"I'm not going to lie." the prince stated "You're in a lot of trouble with what you've done."

"_Who would have guessed?_" she harshly thought.

"By the law, you would have been killed by now. Instead, the Warden here and I are trying to make a compromise."

"Oh?"

"Instead of being executed, you are going to be banished to the surface. That is, if you tell us who put you up to this."

"You call _that_ a compromise?" Natia replied angrily.

"It isn't very fair, I know. But it's the best I can offer."

"The best you can offer? Going on the surface? Going to a place I don't know, where I have nothing, know no one and...and..." she trailed off, suppressing her instincts to say "_...and abandon my family?_"

"You'd have the means to build a new life." the prince replied calmly "A new life where that brand has no meaning. I doubt being dead offers the same privileges."

Natia didn't respond and turned away her face, looking disdained.

The prince sighed: "Why are you so loyal to this person?"

Now the castless girl turned back her face to him, this time looking utterly outraged: "Loyal?" she snarled "Do you think this is about _loyalty_?"

"You sure make it seem that way."

Natia, in turn, stated angrily: "Listen well, blondy: unlike _you_ nobles up here, there is only one thing _we_ castless can do: surviving. "Loyalty" is the last of the things we can afford to have to do that. So don't start senseless bullshitting speeches of loyalty with me."

"Right now..." the Warden interrupted her "You're doing the exact opposite thing to surviving."

Natia glared at her, but said nothing aside from: "This conversation is over. Get out."

As if to obey her, the two headed for the door and got out. But before doing that, the Warden told the prisoner one more thing: "If you wish to try getting rid of your restraints, don't waste your time. I created it with my magic, and it is much more resistant than it looks. Nothing you can do will break it. Only _I_ can."

The castless girl glared at her again, at which Abana said: "I don't know what you're trying to hide, but you're only making things worse, despite what you believe." and then she was gone.

As soon as the prince and the Warden were out, the door to the cell was sealed again.

As they walked away, Duran asked the Qunari: "So, what was your impression?"

The woman observed: "Despite her...less than cooperative attitude, I don't think she is completely against collaborating. But there's something..." her face became reflective "Something besides herself that prevents her from doing so."

"Well, you said it yourself earlier." the prince replied "You've had dealings with the Carta and the desperate who work for them. What does your instinct tell you?"

Abana raised a hand to her chin "I'm not really sure. My first guess is that she's trying to hide not something, but some_one_. But whom? She admitted she's only loyal to herself."

"Assuming that isn't a ruse to protect that someone."

"Assuming that, yes."

They then walked to Duran's office, where a red-haired dwarven warrior was waiting for them.

"My lord." he greeted them "Warden."

"Ser Gorim." the Warden greeted him back.

"Have you been successful, Gorim?" the prince hopefuly asked his second "What did you find?"

Gorim shook his head: "Practically nothing. The merchant caste is the one with access to that type of badges. But of course, nobody has given anything to any castless girl."

"Obviously." Duran commented ironically.

"Is there anyone among them who has ever been suspected to be working with the Carta?" Abana tried to ask.

"Just one?" Gorim replied "More like "half a dozen". All with no actually incriminating evidence."

"Although..." Duran interrupted his second while taking a meditative glance.

"Although?" Abana asked.

"When there is a Proving, there are also bets. Bets with _a lot_ of money involved."

"And if one of these merchants had money on Everd's victory..." Abana commented.

"Usually, House Vollney is involved in this kind of things. Especially Lord Vollney." Gorim added.

"It's a place to start." the Warden replied "At least, as long as our castless friend prefers staying quiet."

* * *

"_Damn you, Warden!_" Natia cursed in her mind, as her attempt to break free failed again "_How the hell could you make this fucking thing?_"

She had tried everything she could think of to shatter the construct: from smashing it against the cell's walls to attempt taking advantage of any cracks. None of that worked.

Unable to free herself, she opted to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

Once that was done, she examined her options.

On one hand, she could keep quiet, let the nobles execute her, and pray that Beraht would be content with that, without venting his anger on her family.

On the other, she could betray Beraht, which was not as bad it sounded, but being exiled to the surface, where she had few to no places to go to, and probably leaving Rica and her mother without Beraht's coin or her own aid.

And the second was possible only if the blonde prince would - and could - keep his word.

But then, an idea hit her: earlier that day, Rica had said she had found a possible patron. Maybe _he_ could take care of Rica and her mother in her absence.

The problem though, was that she didn't know how long that man's interest in Rica would last.

"_Perhaps..._" she reflected "_Perhaps the blonde can help with that._"

"_But will he? No, no. Why would he go that far? Sending me to the surface is way simpler. He won't risk his neck any further than that._"

A few moments later, Natia heard the sound of the cell's door being opened.

What she expected was either the Warden and the prince coming back to check if she had changed her mind or the executioner.

To her surprise, it was neither. It was...

"Rica?" she exclaimed surprised.

"Natia!" the Carta enforcer's half-sister exclaimed back before hugging her.

"How...?" Natia began, utterly surprised "What are you doing here?"

"I've managed to gain access to the cells through my patron." Rica explained "He had a few words with the guards and they let me in."

"Your patron?" Natia asked surprised "You mean he commands this place? He's one of the king's sons?"

"Yes." Rica replied "He's Prince Bhelen, the youngest of the three."

"And he's your patron for real?" Natia asked still confused "No longer "nothing concrete yet"?"

"Yes. He says he intends to move the whole family to better lodging."

"That is..." Natia began, her surprise slowly replaced by joy "That is wonderful news. You and mother will be safe."

"Yes, but what about you?" Rica replied, changing her tone from happy to worried and revealing why she had come "What happened at the Proving?"

Natia's face became grim at that question, all traces of joy gone.

She had a quick glance at the door behind her sister's back and then whispered: "This...will be better if we're not heard."

Comprehending her meaning, Rica leaned closer to her sister and approached one of her ears to her face.

"It's been a mess after another. It began at Beraht's shop..."

From there, Natia proceeded to narrating all that had happened. From Beraht giving her her task, to her capture. From her first encounter with the Warden to the offer she and Prince Duran had made.

"I don't know what became of Leske." Natia continued "Nor what to do now. If I don't cooperate, Beraht may want revenge on you, and I won't be able to help you. If I do, it's a one-way trip to the surface for me, while you and mother...will be on your own."

Rica retreated a bit from Natia and then she whispered back: "Maybe the Warden can help you. Bhelen said she was the first to step up for you after you were captured."

Natia arched an eyebrow: "What are you saying?"

"I wasn't there during the...trial they were making, but Bhelen was and he says the Assembly was going to call for your execution outright before she interrupted and proposed to offer you an alternative if you..."

"If I cooperate." Natia finished for her sister, at which she nodded "And you think _that_ would mean she'd help me? And even so, what about you and mother? Are you certain Bhelen won't get rid of you in case you fail to...give him a child?"

"Please, don't worry about us." Rica replied, trying hard to sound reassuring "I think, for the first time, we'll manage to be alright. And this can be your chance to be something more than a whore's sister."

At that reply, Natia swallowed hard and took a moment of silence with her head kept low, while reconsidering her options.

With the new knowledge of Rica's status, the real worry had become about wheter she could be sure the situation would prove stable for her family. With or without the Warden's aid for the aftermath of being exiled, the whims of Prince Bhelen were going to be Rica's only source of sustainment, without her to help out.

However, there was another option she could use, even if it could mean renouncing being simply exiled.

After sighing, Natia rose back her head and told her sister: "If your patron can tell Prince Duran that I want to discuss his offer...I'll see where this'll go."

"Are you truly convinced?" Rica asked in order to make sure.

"I am. So long as you and mother are safe."

Rica nodded approvingly at that reply.

"I'll tell him that." she said. "It will be just a matter of finding him."

"You can take as long as you need to." Natia said with a point of sarcasm "As you can guess, I'm not going anywhere."

After a brief chuckle, Rica left the cell.

* * *

Natia waited impantiantly for Rica's return.

Even though she was not as confident about the Warden helping her as her sister, she was more than ready to get out of the cell, after the amount of time she had spent there.

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sound of the door being opened.

"_Finally._" Natia thought, almost ready to sigh.

Who came in, however, was not Rica nor Duran nor the Warden.

It was one of the guards.

"What's this?" Natia asked confused "What are you doing here?"

"Just making a delivery, duster." the guard non-chalantly replied "On Beraht's behalf." he added as his hand went for his axe "To make sure you do not talk."

"_Oh, crap._" Natia thought.

"Aren't you worried the prince will be upset with you?" she said in an attempt to dissuade him.

"I'm paid enough not to care about how the royal family feels." the guard said unaffected "Besides, I think he'll understand if I had to act to prevent your escape."

He then unsheathed his weapon and an evil smirk spread on his face as he concluded: "Ready to die?"

Natia's face hardened as she raised her tighted hands in a defensive stance, replying: "You're gonna regret this."

* * *

"You're certain she's truly willing to talk?" Duran asked his younger brother's concubine.

"I do, my lord." she replied humbly.

"Very well." he replied "The Warden and I will take it from here."

"Thank you for the collaboration, miss Brosca." Warden Abana told her "I will honor the end of our bargain, no doubt about that."

"Thanks for letting us know this, Bhelen." Duran told his younger brother.

"No problem." Bhelen replied.

After that, the Warden, the prince and his second headed back to the cells of the palace.

To their shock, however, the door to Natia's cell was open, with one of the guards laying unconscious.

"What the hell...?" Gorim stated in disbelief while he and the other two hurried inside.

They found the castless girl keeping her arms around the other guard's throat, who was gasping for air.

"What's going on here?" Duran shouted.

Noticing the presence of the trio, Natia let go off her grip and told the prince: "This guy broke into the cell and tried to kill me."

"This castless bitch is lying!" the guard interjected between coughs "She attempted to escape and I had to intervene!"

"Liar!" Natia shouted back at him.

"Enough!" Duran cut them both off angrily "You guard, get out of here!"

"But, my lord..." the guard attempted to say.

"Now!"

Taken aback by the prince's anger, the man said nothing else and did as he was told.

"And you." Duran said turning to Natia but no less angry "You had better tell me _he_ was the one lying."

"What do you think, blondie?" Natia hissed, now also angry "Does it make sense an attempt to escape when we had already made a deal?"

"You're still talking to one of the princes of Orzammar, girl." Gorim intervened "Show him the respect he is due!"

Duran rolled his eyes, while Natia replied: "Shut the fuck up, you with that stupid beard!"

"Don't get started you two!" Warden Abana cut them both off "This is neither the place nor the time!"

Gorim made an expression that seemed to imply he was bitting his tongue, and only responded: "Understood, Warden." though he still glared at the girl.

"Now." Prince Duran intervened, now sounding more annoyed than angry, while turning to Natia "You accepted the terms of the deal. So..."

"Wait." Natia interrupted him "One thing before that."

Duran arched an eyebrow in response.

"I'm not doing this for Orzammar. I'm doing it for my family. If I am to talk, I want your word that if your brother decides to get rid of Rica, _you_ will look after them. And I don't care if it means I will still be executed."

"Bhelen is not the kind of person you pictured." Duran argued.

"You say that." Natia shot back "But I still don't trust you that much. Swear on...don't know, something!"

Duran sighed, but decided to indulge her: "I swear I will look after your family. May I be stripped of my honor and left to die in the Deep Roads if I break my word."

Although Natia's face did not soften at hearing that oath, she nodded and then started: "The key points are two. One, I was not tasked with impersonating Everd but only to make sure he won. Two, the one who hired me is a merchant by the name Arno Beraht."

From there, Natia explained to the three what Beraht had tasked her to do and how it had developed, but avoided making any mention of Leske.

When she was finished, Duran commented: "With this I should be able to at least start an investigation on Beraht. Thank you."

"I did not do this for Orzammar, blondie, remember?" Natia retorted coldly.

"I did not forget...red." Duran commented, with a point of sarcasm in the last word.

"That wasn't funny." Natia retorted.

"If I may..." the Grey Warden interrupted them "I believe there's another problem."

The three dwarves all arched an eyebrow to the Qunari's statement.

"What is it?" Duran asked.

"That guard will surely report that he's been "assaulted". The Assembly is already raging for the idea of showing leniency for the Proving. After this..."

"...they won't agree to this deal anymore." Gorim finished for her as he understood.

"Exactly." Abana confirmed.

"So I've just risked my neck in return for...nothing?" Natia shouted angrily.

"Not at all." the Warden corrected her "You will not be executed, but I need a word with King Endrin before your hearing."

"Warden, you're not...?" the prince asked half-worried, half-confused.

"I believe the time for caution has passed." the Qunari replied.

"Caution for what?" Natia, now also confused, asked.

The Warden apparently ignored her, as she said: "Once you're summoned, remember to speak only when spoken to, or everything will become more difficult." and then left.

"What was that about?" Natia said, getting more and more nervous.

Duran sighed before answering: "We'll see tomorrow. I don't want to give you false hopes."

The castless girl groaned at that.

The dwarven prince then turned to his second and told him: "Gorim, I think this won't be the last attempt Beraht will make on her life. I need someone I can trust to guard her."

"Understood, my lord."

"And you, red." Duran told the girl "Remember what Abana said: speak when spoken to."

Natia snorted at that.

"And both of you." he said to both "Try not to strangle one another."

"No promises." Natia replied stiffly.

"I'll try." Gorim said stoically.

With that said, the two dwarven men left the cell and closed it again.

* * *

The day after, Natia was summoned for her audience in front of the Assembly and Prince Duran and his second escorted her there.

In any other situation, Natia would have been amazed by all the palaces of the Diamond Quarter, which were much bigger than any other building she'd ever seen and much cleaner and shinnier than even those of the Commons.

But that was not the day, as she was too angry to observe any of that.

And she also ignored all the people that looked grimly at her and her brand.

Once within the chamber of the Assembly itself, Natia was soon welcomed by all the murmurs and poorly-restrained curses.

Despite her anger for being kept in the dark by everyone, she decided to follow the instructions that had been given to her and talk only when given the right to talk.

And that she did: she repeated what she had told Duran and the Warden and when she was done, even more murmurs circulated through the chamber.

While some nobles decided to believe her version, others complained that Beraht was an honest merchant and that she was a liar.

Natia didn't pay too much attention to what was being said and who said it. Her interest was slightly picked when the king called everyone to attention.

"Silence!" he admonished everyone "We have been given a version of what has happened. It's now up to us to find the truth."

"And what of the prisoner, your majesty?" one of the guards asked after that.

The king made a sigh, so soft most didn't even hear it, before talking to the rest of the Assembly again: "Despite this confession, the crimes that have been charged are too many to ignore: ridiculing the warrior cast, theft of armor, befoulment of a smith's work, impersonation of a higher cast, pollution of the Proving and, more recently, aggression on her guards and attempted escape."

"_Asshole._" Natia thought angrily.

"However..." the king continued "The prisoner has apparently found a patron. As misguided as she might be."

While Natia remained confused by that declaration, Warden Abana stepped into the chamber immediately after, with a scroll in her hands.

"Lords and ladies of the Assembly, please, heed me." she stated while approaching Natia and silencing all the confused murmurs that had filled the room.

"This..." she raised the scroll "...is a document issued by the Warden-Commander of Ferelden, granting the authority to invoke the Right of Conscription."

Other murmurs, now of worry, filled the room again.

"With the authority given to me, I hereby recruit this woman..." she pointed at Natia "...into the ranks of the Grey Wardens."

Immediately, all manners of shouts of protest and shock came out of the mouths of all the present nobles, quickly replacing all that had previously filled the room. But nothing of that could replace the massive surprise that Natia showed with her widened eyes at the Warden's declaration.

"No! This can not be allowed!" one of the lords protested while standing up.

"On the contrary, Lord Vollney..." was the reply "It can. And it is."

With that said, the Warden turned to Natia, murmured something and snapped her fingers.

Immediately, the stone shackle began to fill itself of rifts that became larger and larger until the construct broke into tens of pieces and freed Natia's hands.

With that done, the Warden told her: "Come with me."

* * *

**So, how was it? Good? Bad? Let me know in the reviews.**

**See you next time! (which I hope won't be as far in the future as the last two)**


	4. Chapter 4-Beyond Orzammar

**I know what you're thinkin: "Oh, he must have given up on this story,"**

**Well, nope. I just got caught up with my university exams and had little time to work on this chapter properly.**

**Still, sorry folks it took so long. I hope the content makes up for the long time since last chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Four-Beyond Orzammar

"Are you ready to proceed?" Abana asked to her new charge, after she had picked up the equipment that had been confiscated from her, which only included a low-quality armor and a couple of twin daggers.

The young dwarf shrugged and replied: "As ready as I can be."

"Good," Abana commented "Then let's get going."

And without another world, Natia followed her lead.

On their way out of the Assembly, Abana kept reflecting on her recruit: even though she would have preferred a more battle-experienced and disciplined combatant, the girl's skills against all the veteran warriors during the Proving had been undeniable and thus, with some better training, she had the potential to become one of the best Wardens in the history of the order. And with a Blight on Ferelden's doorsteps, she had to use what resources she had on hand.

Once they had left the Diamond Quarter, however, Abana's recruit grabbed her hand and asked: "Before we move on, care to ask a few questions?"

Her tone was clearly not friendly.

Abana indulged her and replied: "Go ahead."

"Why didn't you tell me? Was it really so wrong to know I was going to be conscripted?"

Abana sighed: "There was no time to explain everything. I had to inform the king before your audience to avoid issues between Orzammar and the order. Same reason why I didn't use it right away."

"You mean you always had that scroll on hand?" Natia shot back half-angry, half-surprised.

"Of course," Abana retorted "You have any idea how long it takes a courier to come from the nearest village to this city?"

"Obviously not!" the dwarf almost shouted "What kind of reasoning is 'let's not use the piece of paper that can spare everyone's time'?"

"Because that 'piece of paper'..." Abana explained, with a glacial tone "...if used too much can make potential enemies. _That_ is why it's kept as a last resource."

Be it for the tone or what Abana did say, Natia seemed to cool down at that remark.

And then she asked: "So you wanted to recruit me all along?"

"Yes," Abana, now also more serene, replied "My plan was for you to be sent to the surface, and then recruit you there without having to turn to the Right of Conscription. But that guard forced my hand."

"Why me?" was the following question "What makes you think I'm Grey Warden-material?"

"What do you think?" was the reply.

"The first reason that comes to mind is charity. But even if I were to accept it, you don't strike me as that kind of person."

Abana smirked briefly at that observation: "And you're right. A good recruit for the order must have mainly three qualities that you proved to have."

"Which are?"

"Firstly, skills in combat. And you proved those in the arena. The Assembly may look past them, but I don't."

Natia's reaction was a wierd face that apparently implied her acknowledgement of that.

"Another quality is the willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish your objectives."

Natia arched an eyebrow to that, making Abana explain: "The fact that you risked your neck fighting directly, proved that you have guts. And the fact that you were ready to die for your family proved me even more right."

"I don't know if what you mean by 'whatever it takes' implies all I'm willing to do," Natia warned.

"Time will tell, girl," was the reply "Time will tell."

Natia shrugged at the vague statement and asked: "And the third quality?"

"Selflessness to the many."

Natia arched again an eyebrow: "Selflessness? Me?"

"Yes you. Or are you telling me you never actually cared about anyone but yourself?" was the mischievous reply.

"About people close to me," Natia replied, not amused.

"Then the two of us have something in common," the Qunari replied.

At the dwarf's confused face, Abana said: "I once was the chief enchanter of a mercenary company. Like you, the only people I cared about were my friends in the gang. And yet that gradually changed when I joined the order."

Natia's face became surprised at that: "You were...a mercenary?"

"The Wardens' ranks are open to anyone who can fight Darkspawn," she explained "Who we were before vanishes when we become Wardens."

After the initial moments of surprise, Natia's face became slightly less stressed as she observed: "That's...well..."

"It sounds like your chance to start over," Abana finished for her "Doesn't it?"

"Well..." Natia replied hesitantly "Yeah, it does."

Abana chuckled before saying: "I've been there as well. Long ago. I had lost my purpose in life and was looking for something to do with it. I found my own chance to start again with the Valo-Kas - my merc gang. Now is your turn to begin anew, I think."

The young dwarf brought a hand to her hairs after that comment, followed by a sigh and then by: "Not sure if I should say it before I actually join but...thanks."

Abana nodded with a weak smile, but behind that smile she thought: "_You're right about that. You may come to curse me in the future._"

With that exchange done, the Warden concluded: "Now if you have no more questions, we should leave."

Following her instructions, Natia followed her to a section of the Commons she had never been before: a huge hall filled with statues of various men and women, all kept in even better shape than those in the Provings' arena.

As they walked through that hall, Abana could not help but notice the curious look with which the former Carta enforcer looked around and so asked her retoricaly: "Never been here before, have you?"

Natia turned to her and replied: "No,", also shaking her head to reinforce it.

Abana then explained: "From what Prince Duran told me, these statues represent your Paragons, past and present. This place is the first outsiders see when they enter Orzammar, and it's meant as a show of Orzammar's glory and pride."

Abana had to repress a sigh as she added: "Probably more its pride these days."

Natia arched an eyebrow at that: "What do you mean?"

Abana made to answer, but she interrupted herself as she noticed Natia's sister and Princes Bhelen and Duran at the beginning of the stairs that would lead them to the surface.

"Well, _this_ I was not expecting," she commented, making Natia also notice the three.

Immediately, the two sisters called at and run to each other before hugging.

At seeing the scene, Abana couldn't help but think how these siblings bonds still felt strange to her despite all the years that had passed.

As she also approached the group, Prince Duran stated: "Looks like you got what you came for, Warden."

"Indeed." she commented while glancing at the two sisters "Though I doubt I personally will ever be welcomed here in Orzammar again," the resignation in her voice was evident.

"Just give it time, Warden," Duran's younger brother intervened "Eventually they'll forget about all of this."

"You're always the optimistic one, Bhelen," was the older dwarf's comment.

"With all due respect, your lordship..." Abana told Duran "I hope your brother is right. I'll have to return when..." she interrupted herself a moment to sigh "...when it is my time."

"It's a long ways off," Duran attempted to comfort her "Don't worry about your age so soon."

"_If only it depended on that_," Abana thought instead of giving a reply.

After the two sisters were done exchanging farewells, they approached the two princes and the Warden.

"I'm ready to go now," she told the more massive woman.

"Good," was the reply.

"A great honor has been bestowed upon you, red," Duran commented "Fight well. Stay strong. And show everyone your valor."

Natia's face remained neutral, not showing how she'd taken Duran's words, and she replied: "I'll...keep it in mind, blondie."

She then turned to the younger prince and asked: "You're Bhelen, right?"

"I am," the man confirmed.

"Well, let me get this straight," Natia began "My sister trusts you. So I want to do the same. But if I learn that you hurt her in my absence, no matter where I am, I'll come back just to gut you."

"Natia..." the elder sister rebuked her.

"It's ok, Rica," Bhelen cut her off before turning back to her sister "I understand. And don't worry. I swear I will not betray that trust," he said with a hand on his heart.

Natia gave a small nod in response, evidently not fully convinced by his words.

"It is time to be on our way now," Abana interjected "My lords," she bowed her head to the two men "Miss Brosca," she bowed her head to Rica "Goodbye."

"Atrast tunsha, Grey Wardens." Duran told the two.

After that exchange, Abana took the steps on the stairs.

Natia followed suit right after one last embrace with her sister.

She did not look back. But a few tears began to form in her eyes.

* * *

As pleasant as the stay in Orzammar had been, Abana still felt refreshed at the feeling of the sun on her skin again and the wind flowing through her hairs, despite her eyes' need to readjust to the more intense light.

The same, however, could not be said of her charge.

"Sodding stone," Natia muttered while covering her eyes.

"_Should have thought about that_," Abana cursed herself.

"All this light..." Natia kept muttering "And that...blue thing..."

"The blue thing is the sky, girl," Abana said "And that light is called the sun. The source of lighting the surface uses instead of the lava."

"Urgh..." Natia responded, her eyes still covered "It felt like I could...fall into it within a second. How can anyone live here?"

"The same way the dwarves live underground. They are used to it. It'll take time, but you also will be. You'll see."

Natia did not respond, and just stood, looking dazed.

"Tell me when you feel ready to move out," Abana said.

Natia swallowed in response "Let's go. Just..." she pointed a hand in the direction from which she heard the Qunari's voice "Just give me a hand."

"Certainly." Abana replied as she gently grabbed the hand.

The two proceeded slowly, with Abana keeping her charge close all the time.

Slowly, Natia grew more confident of her steps and repeatedly attempted to uncover her eyes.

Eventually, even though she still refused to look upwards and had to cover her face from the sunlight, she became capable to walk steadily.

The two's walk was interrupted when Abana reached one of the kiosk managed by the travelling merchants.

"Hey there, Warden!" the owner of the kiosk - an old-looking dwarf - greeted Abana with a smile "Welcome back."

"Reginald!" Abana warmly greeted back, also exchanging a shake of hands, "Has Fangs given you trouble?"

"Oh, no," 'Reginald' replied "Maybe scared someone off, but otherwise no problem."

Natia was ready to ask who the man was and who was 'Fangs', but the Qunari anticipated her: "Allow me to make some introductions: girl, this is Reginald, from Ostwick, an old friend of mine," she said as she pointed towards the man "Reg, this is Natia Brosca, from Orzammar,"

"Greetings," Natia told Reginald.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Reginald replied "Let me guess: another castless who decided to tell the Assembly: 'Screw your sense of superiority.' and left," he commented after noticing Natia's brand.

"Not exactly how I'd have put it," Natia replied "But it is close enough to the long story short."

"Well either way, let me tell you girl: leaving was the best decision of your life," Reginald said, not fully convincing Natia.

"So, I guess your search for recruits didn't go well," Reginald then told Abana.

"On the contrary, it did," Abana replied "_She _is my recruit."

Reginald's jaw almost dropped: "Are you kidding me?"

As Natia glared at him, he quickly added: "No offense meant, girl. But the Wardens are an order of elite warriors and..."

"I'll let you know that I left Orzammar because they banished me for humiliating the warrior caste," Natia retorted "In fair duels."

Reginald looked all the more surprised by the remark: "I take it all back."

"Ahem," Abana interrupted "Back to business, I need to inform the commander, or at least the king, of these developments. That hawk is still here?"

"Sure is. I'll go take it."

"Good," Abana commented before Reginald went away.

"What's a hawk?" Natia asked curiously.

"A bird," Abana explained "We use them to deliver messages from and to different points of a nation."

"Are they reliable?"

"They are bright and strong, so yes they are."

A few minutes later, Reginald came back, with his left hand covered by a glove and raised to his shoulder's level. A big proud-looking bird was standing on it.

Immediately, Abana positioned her left hand as Reginald's, and the hawk flew to her hand.

"And there you go," Reginald commented.

"Thanks, Reg," she said "While I write the message, could you see if you have some armor for Natia?"

"Sure thing," he replied before the Qunari left.

"So you're a smith?" Natia asked.

"Technically, my wife is," Reginald corrected "I just sell her products. Come."

* * *

Natia examined in the mirror how the new armor looked on her.

As Everd's armor before, it was heavier than what she usually wore, but at least this one was not as heavy and didn't have all the plates to slow her movements down.

The leather it was made of was also less heavy, aside from the metallic parts that covered her vital organs, but also more resistant than her old armor.

The biggest issue, however, was that it wasn't of her size, and was in fact a bit large.

"So, aside from it being large," Nyxa, Reginald's wife and a former castless judging by her tatoo, asked anticipating Natia's thoughts "How do you like it, kid?"

"It's nice," Natia admitted "You said this type is meant for archers?"

"Yup," the woman replied "Was the best I had on hand. Takes days to make a new one that is decent."

"And I doubt Abana will wait that long," Reginald added.

"I take it you two have known her for a while," Natia commented.

"We originally came from the Free Marches, a long way north from here," Reginald replied "She and her gang were our most frequent customers, and _we_ their main suppliers."

"If the Free Marches are so distant, why come all the way to...to..." Natia trailed off as she realized she didn't know what country she was in "Where are we, by the way?"

"The Frostback Mountains. It's basically the border between Ferelden and Orlais, though Orzammar's entrance technically sits on Fereldan territory."

"Moved here for our son's wedding," Nyxa continued "It was...five...six...?"

"Seven," Reg corrected.

"...years ago. Never afforded to go back. Found out Abana was here and a Grey Warden only a few months ago."

"And speaking of her..." Reg interrupted as he realized how much time had passed "Where has she gone?"

The door of the tent was opened as he said that, and an unmistakable horned head came in.

"Here I am," Abana said "I sent the hawk to Denerim's palace. The Commander said he'd go to the city to search for an old ally. He should arrive by the time the hawk has."

"Good to hear," Reginald replied.

"And I see you've found something adequate," Abana added as she observed Natia's new armor.

"Was the best I had on hand," Nyxa replied "Though you might wanna make the kid gain a few kilogrames if she's to fit in."

"That should not be a problem," Abana replied "Until we reach Ostagar, we shouldn't come across fights. And even with Fangs, it'll be at least three weeks before we reach that fortress."

"Is that place the headquarters of the Wardens?" Natia asked.

"Not quite," Abana replied "Our HQ is in Ferelden's capital, Denerim. Ostagar is an ancient Tevinter fortress at the edges of the Kocari wilds, where a horde of Darkspawn is gathering. The Commander believes we're dealing with a new Blight."

"Ehm..." Natia, who had understood little, said "Blight? Kocari wilds? Tevinter?"

"Looks like you've gotta do quite a bit of explaining," Nyxa commented sarcastically.

"Looks that way," Abana replied annoyed before turning back to Natia "I'll get into more details later. For now, suffice it to say we're going to Ostagar to stop the Darkspawn from spreading. Is that much clear?"

"Pretty much," Natia replied.

"Good," the Qunari said "Then we'll leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"The sun is already setting," Abana explained "It is not wise to travel with the dark, especially among mountains."

Natia's reaction was a confused face.

Abana rolled her eyes: "You have no idea what I mean, do you?"

"Only on the part about the sun setting," Natia defended herself.

"As I thought," Abana commented before turning to Reginald "Could the two of you look after her while I search where Fangs has gone Nugs-hunting?"

"Sure thing," the old dwarf replied.

"Thank you," Abana said.

She then turned back to Natia and told her: "They can answer your questions for now. I'll return shortly," and then she left yet again.

"This whole word on the surface is far messier than I thought, isn't it?" a frustrated Natia asked once her fellow was out of earshot.

"It's far more extensive than Orzammar and has seen much more types of histories than the Assembly's perpetual power plays and its warriors fighting the Darkspawn," Reginald explained.

"And there's that," Natia added with a finger poined upwards.

"And there's that, yes," the man confirmed.

Natia sighed deeply at that.

"Don't ya worry, kid," Nyxa attempted to comfort her "You only need time. And three weeks's quite a lot."

Reginald and Nyxa spent the time afterwards explaining as best as they could the concepts of day and night to Natia.

The new concepts proved difficult for the young dwarf to comprehend as they were nothing like she had ever heard or thought was possible.

Abana came back in short after.

"I take it Fangs wasn't too far?" Reg asked her.

"Thankfully not," Abana replied "It even seems he was on his way back."

Natia did not manage to keep her curiosity any more: "I keep hearing of this 'Fangs', but I still haven't seen him. Who is he? Another Warden?"

"No," Abana replied "He's my mount. And has this habit of going hunting when I'm not around."

"Speaking of which," Nyxa intervened "Maybe it's time to prepare dinner, don't ya think, Reg?"

"Agreed," Reginald replied.

"What do the two of you say?" Nyxa asked them "Would you like some meat?"

Natia passed a hand on her stomach briefly, feeling indeed hungry, and stated: "That sounds good to me,"

"Me too, thanks,"

"Alright," Nyxa replied as she went to another room "Be back soon."

"I'll go make sure she doesn't burn it this time," Reg stated short after, at which Abana smiled briefly, and went after his wife, leaving the Warden and her recruit alone.

"So..." Natia tried to ask "What's the plan for the travel?"

"First thing will be leaving these mountains," Abana replied "From there we'll head to Lake Calenhad, where we'll make a short stop. Then we will rendezvous with the Commander near a village called Lothering and then onwards to Ostagar."

"Why are we stopping at the lake?"

"On its borders stands Kinloch Hold, Ferelden's Circle of Magi. Another Warden was sent there also in search of recruits. We'll have to pick him up, along with anyone he's recruited."

"And what's the Commander doing away from the front lines?"

"Recruiting as well, in Highever and Denerim."

Natia's curiosity was now picked: "Why are you recruiting so many people?"

"Two reasons mainly. One: when a Blight goes on it's best to have as many Grey Wardens as possible. Two: the Order was banished from Ferelden a long time ago and has been allowed to return just a couple of decades ago, meaning we are too few at the moment. I, for one, was originally stationed in the Free Marches before being sent here to fill the ranks."

"After twenty years you still haven't reached sufficient numbers?"

"Right now there are less than thirty in all Ferelden. Not enough to face a Blight. And finding acceptable candidates is not easy. And not all of them pass the Joining."

"The...what?" Natia asked confused.

"Right, sorry," Abana facepalmed herself "It is a magical ritual one must undergo to become a full-fledged Grey Warden."

"A ritual? And why would it...?"

"Because Grey Wardens can sense Darkspawn and are immune to their taint. The Joining allows them those abilities."

"But if it's magic, how can it work on dwarves? Aren't we immune to magic?"

"Technically you're resistant, not immune. But the Joining isn't just magic, it's also..." Abana stopped herself a moment before adding: "Well, it's...complicated. I'll explain better when the time comes."

"What kind of 'complicated'?" Natia asked suspicious.

"The 'you wouldn't believe me if I told you' kind."

"Anyway," Abana continued "For this evening, I suggest you take Reg and Nyxa's meal and then go to sleep no more than two hours later. We'll be waking up soon tomorrow."

* * *

"Wake up," Natia heard as she also felt a hand shake her side.

"Wh...what?" she muttered.

"It's almost sunrise," said Abana's voice "We have to go."

Natia yawned: "Can't we really afford a few more minutes?"

"The sooner we move out, the more time we'll have."

"Don't you want to wait for your friends to also wake up? Just to say 'bye'?"

"They already have," Abana retorted "They will get into the city later in the morning, so the sooner we leave, the more time they'll have to gather their things."

Natia snorted at that, but instead of complaining, as she wanted to do, she got up.

No more than twenty minutes later, Natia had suited up and was ready to move out and Abana had placed several vials containing various substances in her pack.

The two ventured outside the tent, greeted by the sight of Nyxa and Reginald packing their goods.

"Ah, you're awake," Nyxa greeted the two as they approached.

"And almost ready to go," Abana replied "Think you'll manage to sell this time?"

"If the Darkspawn truly are pouring on the surface, Orzammar will probably take the chance to reclaim some ground," Reginald said "And we'll be the ones providing the weaponary," he finished with a smile.

While the three chatted, Natia noticed a huge quadruped creature, with clawed paws, a mouth full of fangs, yellow eyes, a set of horns on its head and the skin covered by green scales, standing nearby.

Its sight shocked Natia, but what was most worrying for the young dwarf was the sadle on its back.

"What...is that?" she asked after examining the creature.

Abana interrupted her conversation and turned her attention to what her charge was pointing.

"Ah," she said as she recognized the drakolisk.

She then waved him to come closer, which he did obediently.

"Girl, this is Fangs," she then explained to Natia while patting his head "My mount."

"Your...?" Natia asked shocked "That's what a horse looks like?"

Abana had to supress a chuckle at that: "He's not a horse. He's a drakolisk. A far stronger creature."

"And you're asking me to mount it?" Natia, asked intimidated "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Abana replied matter-of-factedly.

"How am I even supposed to get...up there?" Natia protested.

"This way," Abana replied before grabbing her from under her armpits, lifting her and placing her on top of the sadle.

"This is not fair," Natia protested.

Abana did not reply.

"Well, you may wanna get equipped for the cold as well," Nyxa commented as she offered the Grey Warden a cloak.

Abana grabbed her friend's gift and examined it, noticing it was a dwarf's size.

A question came to her mind: "Won't you be needing it for the trip back?"

"Not to worry," Reginald replied "We've got a spare one."

"Alright," Abana replied before tossing the cloak to Natia.

"Suit up," she commanded her charge.

At that command, Natia opted not to retort.

The Qunari then mounted Fangs, with a surprising agility for one of her size, and then grabbed his reins.

"Good luck with your business," Abana told the two dwarves.

"You two as well," Reginald replied.

"Give the 'spawns hell!" Nyxa added.

"That's the plan," Abana replied.

She then turned to Natia, seeing her waving at Reginald and Nyxa.

"You should grab me, now," the Warden instructed her.

"...what?" Natia replied dumbfounded.

"Grab me," Abana repeated "It's the only way you won't risk getting unsaddled."

Reluctantly, Natia brought her arms around Abana's abdomen and then grasped her hands together.

"There, that will do," Abana commented.

"Alright then, on march," was the last thing she said before drawing Fangs' reins and departing.

* * *

**So, that's it. Let me know in the comments your thoughts. I hope it satisfied you. I'd also like to say it won't be so long again, but I'd rather not give false hopes. Sorry :(**


	5. Chapter 5-The elves of the Dales

**Aaaand...here it is. Not as soon as I would have hoped but I've had some things to deal with in real life.**

**I hope the chapter lives up to expectations. Enjoy!**

* * *

_"What was that?" Tamlen asked as the strange bear finally fell dead, its chest and back both full of arrows._

_"I have no idea," Lyna replied "Maybe the 'demon' those shemlen were talking about."_

_"Maybe," Tamlen conceded._

_"And if there's one, there's got to be more around. Maybe we should go back and bring the rest of the clan_ _before going any further."_

_"I don't think there's a 'further'," Tamlen replied._

_In response, Lyna looked around the cave and saw what her friend meant: there was no other road from where they had arrived. There was just the entrance they had come through._

_But there was something else that caught the young huntress' interest._

_"What is that mirror?" she asked as she pointed at the artifact covered in ancient writings._

_Tamlen immediately looked in the same direction, also noticing it._

_Without a word, Tamlen went in front of the mirror and made to examine its writings._

_Lyna reached him quickly._

_"It's elvish!" Tamlen exclaimed "Like the relic!"_

_"Good to know," Lyna said without showing too much excitement "But maybe we should leave it to the Keep..."_

_"Wait," Tamlen interrupted "Did you see it?"_

_"What?" Lyna asked while looking confused at the mirror._

_"Something moved inside it."_

_Lyna gave a more thorough look at the mirror but saw nothing._

_"Tamlen, it's a mirror," she said "The only things moving are our reflections,"_

_"But..." Tamlen, who had never turned his gaze away from the artifact, objected "I saw it..."_

_As those words left his mouth, he also made to touch the glass._

_"Tamlen, don't..." Lyna shouted as she tried to grab his hand, but was too late._

_As soon as Tamlen's fingers came in contact with the mirror, the glass slowly turned purple._

_The two dalish hunters took a few steps back as two gray orbs appeared._

_And then a head came out. The head of a dragon, with scales of the same color as the one the mirror had become, long fangs coming out of its mouth and with the two orbs as its eyes._

_The dragon's neck also came out of the mirror, curving backwards._

_The dragon hissed as it watched the two elves, who were paralyzed by fear._

_After a few moments, it roared so loud the two had to cover their ears._

_And then it lunged at Lyna._

* * *

"No!" Lyna shouted with all the voice she had.

"Whoa, easy there," the voice of Fenarel said right after.

At hearing the familiar voice, Lyna calmed herself down and took a moment to assess her surroundings.

Instead of the cave she had dreamed about, she was inside an aravel. Or rather, she was lying in a bed _inside _the aravel. And besides that bed there were also various vials and scrolls scattered here and there.

Only when she had Fenarel in her sight, she spoke again: "Wh...what happened? How did I get here? Where's Tamlen?"

"Calm down," Fenarel replied "Take a deep breath and then let's start over,"

Lyna, still agitated, followed her friend's suggestion and took a few deep breaths.

"Sorry Fenarel," she said after that "I just...I don't even know what happened."

"It's alright, Lyna."

"But...how did I get here? The last thing I remember, I was inside a cave."

"Two Grey Wardens arrived two days ago, carrying you. They said they found you unconscious out there, near a cave's entrance. I guess that's the one you remember."

"I..." Lyna said as another memory came to her mind "I...do remember something else. There was this shemlen with some sort of dog. He...called to me. And then to someone else. The dog was barking the whole time..."

"Then that shemlen must have been one of the two Wardens, since they did come with a dog."

"And...how long ago did you say that was?"

"Two days."

Lyna remained shocked by that news: "Two days? I slept that long?"

"Worse than slept," Fenarel replied, his voice sounding grave "You have been comatose the whole time. We didn't find out why. And Keeper Marethari did everything she could to keep you alive."

"The Keeper?" Lyna asked before glancing around "So this is _her_ aravel."

"Yes."

"Where is she now?"

"Out here," Fenarel replied "She...wanted to speak with you when you woke up. But if you need a..."

"No," Lyna interrupted him "No, she needs to hear what I have to say right now."

After she said that, Fenarel offered her a hand in order to help her get up, which the huntress took readily.

Once outside, the two were met by the sight of Keeper Marethari discussing with a shemlen, young-looking, with short brownish hair and facial hair and dressed with an armor covered by plates and carrying the sheath of a sword on his left side.

"Madame Keeper," the shemlen told Marethari as he noticed the two Dalish "It seems your huntress has awakened."

After he said that, Marethari also noticed the two and approached them, alongside the shemlen.

"I thank you for watching over her, Fenarel," the elder mage told the Dalish hunter "But now we must speak with her. Privately."

"Of course, Keeper," Fenarel replied before bowing respectfully and then leaving.

"Thank the Creators you've recovered, Lyna," Marethari then greeted the younger woman, a relieved look in her eyes "I was worried you would never awake."

"Glad to see you too, Keeper," Lyna greeted back, before turning to the human "But who's this?"

"My name is Aedan," the man replied "Latest recruit of the Grey Wardens."

"And what are the Grey Wardens doing in the forest?"

"My commander and I were on our way to Ostagar when he sensed darkspawns in this area and we came to investigate. We found you near a cave where he sensed their presence the most."

"Darkspawn?" Lyna replied "Here?"

"So it would seem."

"Impossible," Lyna dismissed the shemlen's assessment "The clan has been here for months without coming across any. And besides, Tamlen and I inspected the whole cave and didn't..." the young Dalish trailed off as she said her friend's name.

"Wait!" she eventually stated "Where's Tamlen? Is he here too?"

Marethari sighed before replying: "That is another matter we need to discuss about."

"We found only you outside the cave," the shemlen explained, as Lyna started to feel her heart sink "We only learned of your friend from your people. And by then, the Commander had already left to investigate the cave."

"We need to find him!" Lyna shouted as she snapped out of shock.

"Hold on," the shemlen interrupted "You are not in the condition to go out there."

"And why not?" Lyna replied irritated.

"Whatever befell you in that cave," Keeper Marethari began "It nearly killed you. My magic only barely kept you alive. And even now, your illness is eating at you. Consuming your strenght."

"The Commander said he believed it was the Darkspawn's taint," the shemlen added, making Lyna's heart sink even more "If he's right, your condition is bound to worsen. Can't risk you out there."

"So what?" Lyna shot back irritated "We'll just let my friend out there to die? Is that what you suggest?"

"Not at all," Marethari interrupted, at which even the shemlen turned to her with an eyebrow arched "But first, I need to know what you were doing there in the first place."

"Long story short, Tamlen and I spotted a group of shemlens stumbling too close to the camp. It turned out they had found elven artifacts in the cave but ran away after crossing a 'demon'. We killed one as a warning not to return. I wanted to inform you, but Tamlen insisted we went there first. We inspected it, found indeed elven artifacts but also some sort of twisted bear. After we dealt with it, we came across a mirror. Tamlen touched it and then..." Lyna trailed off as she attempted to remember what happened afterwards, but found out that she had no recollection of that.

"Venturing there on your own was reckless," the shemlen commented "Especially if you had been warned the place was not safe. And besides, was killing that man really necessary?"

Lyna's blood boiled at the remarks: "Like you have a right to judge us."

"Doesn't take that to distinguish self-defense from unnecessary murder," the shemlen replied, a scolding look in his eyes.

"You dare..."

"Enough!" Marethari cut the two off, launching an icy glare at both.

Taking the hint, the two ended their argument.

"Lyna," the Keeper then continued "The shemlen that you spared did not take your hint. It appears the village they came from has heard of your actions and is preparing to drive us away."

"We know this forest better than they do," Lyna replied "We can easily repel them."

The shemlen facepalmed himself at hearing Lyna's words.

"Maybe," Marethari replied "Maybe not. But we are going to have to leave regardless."

At Lyna's confused face, the Keeper added: "Regardless of whether the Darkspawn are here or not, they are ammassing themselves in the south. And soon they'll move north. Ferelden is no longer safe for us."

"But..." Lyna attempted to reply, but was cut off by Marethari's raised hands.

"But we also have to find Tamlen and recover those artifacts, if we can," the Keeper added "Therefore," she turned to the shemlen "If it is agreeable, I'm sending Lyna and my First, Merrill, there under your protection."

"Can't agree to that," was the reply "Escorting her, besides disobeying the Commander's orders, would be difficult enough without escorting also your scholar."

"Merrill is a mage, like myself. She can handle herself, but I'd feel safer if they went with you."

Before replying, Aedan had a quick glance at Lyna and then to the camp.

"Fine," he ultimately sighed resigned "I hope I won't come to regret this."

"Lyna," Marethari told the huntress "When you're ready to move out, talk to Merrill."

"I'll recover my weapons and wait on the camp's borders," the shemlen informed before leaving.

Once he was out of earshot, however, Lyna asked the Keeper: "With all due respect, are we really going to trust the shemlens?"

"Give him the benefit of the doubt for now," was the answer "It was him and his fellow who brought you to us and it is them who may cure you."

That last part confused Lyna: "What do you mean?"

"If they are right about you having the taint, there is nothing within my capabilities that can heal your illness," Marethari stated with sadness in her voice "But Duncan - Aedan's fellow - said he might know a way to help you."

Lyna arched an eyebrow: "Something Grey Warden-related?"

"We'll see," Marethari shrugged.

"Either way, I believe you will want to see Ashalle. She has been praying Mythal for your recover for the past two days. I suspect she'll want to see you."

Hearing her adoptive mother's name took Lyna's mind off her other concerns.

"Will do that. Thanks."

* * *

Lyna found Ashalle, the closest person she had ever had to a mother, by their shared aravel, kneeling to her old idol of Mythal and praying, as Marethari had said.

"Your prays have been answered, Ashalle" Lyna interrupted her in order to draw her attention.

Ashalle turned her head in surprise at hearing the comment and - as soon as she saw her adoptive daughter - approached and hugged her.

"It is so good to see you whole, Lyna," Ashalle commented "I was so worried!"

"It's good to see you too," Lyna replied while sharing the hug.

"The Keeper said she didn't know if you'd make it," Ashalle said between sobs "I've never been so relieved,"

The two kept hugging each other for a few minutes before letting go.

"The Wardens stated you were unconscious in the middle of the forest," Ashalle began after that "What happened?"

"I'm not really sure," Lyna replied "Tamlen and I stumbled upon some ruins of our people. Tamlen touched one of the artifacts and the only thing I remember afterwards is waking up here."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ashalle commented "The Grey Wardens said you had been infected by the taint," she added worried "Is it true?"

"I..." Lyna began "...can't really say. Right now I feel fine, but Marethari said I am still infected with something she couldn't recognize."

"Is there anything that can be done?"

"It seems the shemlens may have some cure of sorts, but nothing specific."

"At least there's hope" Ashalle comforted Lyna and probably herself too "And what about Tamlen?"

"I don't know," Lyna sighed "Last time I saw him was before passing out."

She took a pause before clenching her fists and adding: "But I'll be damned if I leave him for dead before knowing for sure."

"You'll have to let that Grey Warden handle this," Ashalle said in an attempt to dissuade her "You may be too weak to go out there if you just recovered and..."

"Actually," Lyna interrupted her adoptive mother "I _am_ going. And with the Keeper's permission,"

"What?" Ashalle asked dumbfounded "Why?"

"Because I'm the only one that knows the way through those ruins. At least I think that's why."

"But...and the Warden?"

"The shemlen doesn't know about Tamlen. And I'm _not_ risking Tamlen being missed."

Seeing Lyna's resolve, Ashalle relented in her attempt to dissuade her and sighed: "At least, please bring someone with you. And be _extremely_ careful."

"Always am," Lyna reassured her "And don't worry. The other shemlen has been told to be my 'guardian' by Marethari. Merrill is coming as well, and you know how capable she is."

Ashalle's face did not appear any less worried at that.

* * *

Aedan waited impatiently for the arrival of the two elves, mostly in hopes of being done quickly with the Dalish clan.

He had not enjoyed the stay with the Dalish, mostly because of the palpable tension and the suspicious glares from them.

In fact, the only one of them he had managed to have a civil dialogue with had been Keeper Marethari.

And even then, he sure as hell wasn't liking her plan.

"_Keep an eye on the girl, Aedan, and keep her safe,_" Duncan's words resonated in his ears "_Her condition is graver than her fellows realize, and it's best to keep her out of trouble until I return._"

And now he was going to disobey that order.

His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the licks on his clenched fist by Erman, Aedan's loyal mabari, who had probably felt his master's unease.

Aedan relaxed and knelt to Erman's level to pat his head.

"Don't worry, boy," he reassured him "It's alright."

Erman barked happily in response.

Not too long after, the Dalish huntress and a raven aired elf girl, presumably from her staff Marethari's First, arrived.

"Serah Lyna, Madame First," Aedan greeted the two elves "Ready to move out?"

"Who's the dog?" Lyna asked as soon as she noticed the mabari.

"His name is Erman," Aedan explained "He's been with me since he was a pup and has always been a loyal friend."

Erman barked happily at that.

"And bringing a dog along is supposed to make our trek safer?" the Dalish protested

"Do not worry about that," Aedan retorted "Mabaris are trained war hounds."

"It's the kind of training they receive at human hands that concerns me," Lyna retorted cynically, to which Erman barked in protest and Aedan glared at her.

"Ahem," the First weakly interrupted "Maybe we should proceed?"

Aedan, in response to that, repressed the glare and stated: "Follow me. I remember the way from here."

The three set off right away, making their way through the woods back to the cave.

Aedan did not say a world along the road, not wishing to get in another argument with the Dalish huntress.

The First, on the other hand, chatted quite a bit with her, and from their tones he assumed the two had to be long-time friends.

Once they had reached the entrance of the cave, however, they found a surprising thing.

"What are these?" Merrill asked as they came across a group of five corpses, all the size of a dwarf, but twisted and deformed and with wounds bleeding black blood.

Aedan and Lyna knelt in front of the bodies and began examining them.

"They strongly stink of rot," Lyna commented "As if they've been dead for a while. But they weren't here when we first came. Who could have...?"

"Genlocks," Aedan cut her off "Have to be."

"What?" both Merrill and Lyna asked at that.

"A type of darkspawn," Aedan explained as he rose to his feet "The shortest of them."

Aedan quickly glanced at the cave's entrance as he commented "Looks like the Commander was right about their presence."

Suddenly a series of growls came from the woods, stirring everyone's attention.

"Know any beast that makes this sound?" Aedan asked the two elves.

"No," Lyna replied "Never heard anything like this."

"Crap," Aedan said as he unsheathed his sword and went in between his charges and the trees "I can take a guess what it is: reinforcements!"

Short after, four more of the 'Genlocks' appeared, one armed with a pair of twin daggers, two wielding a greatsword and the fourth wielding a bow.

At the sight of the creatures, Erman began to roar menacingly and Aedan grabbed his shield.

"Get in!" he commanded as he took a guard stance "We'll handle this!"

In reply, Lyna took an arrow from her quiver and stated: "No way. I don't run away from a fight!"

"You stubborn girl," Aedan snorted in response.

Before the Dalish huntress could reply, the greatsword-armed Darkspawn charged at them.

Reacting to the attack, Aedan got to the two of them and parried one with his shield while crossing blades with the other.

Erman, on the other hand, lunged at the knives-wielding Genlock, aiming at its throat, but the Darkspawn dodged the Mabari with incredible speed.

The two started circling each other afterwards, both waiting for an opening in the other's guard, all the while growling at one another.

Meanwhile, the archer began targetting the two elves, but its arrows only met magical barriers erected by Merrill.

As more of the arrows were deflected, the Darkspawn became more and more aggressive, its attacks becoming more frequent but also less precise.

Lyna, meanwhile, took advantage of her fellow's protection and took aim at the other Darkspawns.

The first to be hit was the one occupying Aedan's shield arm, whose knee succumbed to the pain from the arrow.

Aedan immediately took advantage of the free arm to push back the other Genlock and, in one swift movement, decapitate its fellow.

With Aedan facing only one opponent, Lyna turned to Erman and the daggers-wielding Genlock, who were steal circling one another.

Extracting two more arrows from her quiver, she aimed them in a V-like trajectory, pointing at the shoulders.

Once the arrows hit their targets, the Genlock shrieked in pain and Erman took the chance to attack: he jumped the Darkspawn, forced it to the ground and then slashed its throat open with his paws.

The Darkspawn archer, meanwhile, threw its bow away in anger, drew a dagger and charged the two elves, only to be stopped by an arrow shot in between its eyes.

Aedan, meanwhile, interjected his opponent's next attack with the shield, directed the blow to his side and took advantage of the opening to impale the Genlock.

With all the Darkspawn dead, the group resheated their weapons.

"Thank you," Aedan suddenly told Lyna "I appreciate that."

"You're welcome," Lyna non-chalantly replied.

After the exchange, Aedan turned towards the cave and commented: "Be ready for another fight. We might find more of them inside."

* * *

Duncan examined the mirror that stood before him.

The source of the taint he had felt was coming from it, which was strange as inanimate objects could not usually be infected.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed the runes that adorned the mirror's frame, which could mean it was a magical artifact and at some point in the past an emissary may have cast a curse on it.

His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice: "This is where Tamlen and I found..."

The voice trailed off and Duncan turned around to see the Dalish huntress he and Aedan had rescued in the woods, another elven woman carrying a staff and Aedan himself, along with his mabari.

As the four also noticed him, he stated: "I believed I told you to keep her safe, Aedan."

"I know," the recruit replied "But the Keeper insisted on sending the two of them here. I had to come."

"I see," Duncan sighed, before turning to the archer "Well, I suppose introductions are due."

"Warden-Commander Duncan of Ferelden," he stated while slightly bowing his head "Honored to meet you in person,"

"You're the other Warden?" the girl asked surprised.

"Indeed," he replied "Though I don't think I had the chance to learn your name, back at your clan."

"Lyna Mahariel," the elf replied stiffly "And what were you doing with that mirror?"

At hearing that, Duncan's mind turned back to the matter at hand.

"I assume you told them why we came here, Aedan?" he asked his young recruit.

"Of course," Aedan confirmed.

"Good," the Commander commented "Then I'll get to the point," he explained while turning back in the direction of the mirror "The source of the taint I sensed in this forest came from that,"

"It is a..." the young Dalish mage - Merrill he believed she was called - asked hesitantly "...an artifact of the Darkspawn?"

"Not at all," Duncan replied "From what I've seen in this cave, I would imagine it belonged to your people, but it has been corrupted for Maker-knows how long."

"By the taint?" Aedan asked confused "How?"

"A good question," was the senior Warden's reply "But it is not important. It must be destroyed."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lyna interjected "You can't do this! It belongs to the elvhen! You can't..."

"If there was a way to cleanse it, I would gladly go for it," Duncan interrupted "Alas, there is none."

"We can try," Merrill attempted to dissuade him "The Keeper knows magic that most of your mages don't..."

"If the Keeper had a way to cleanse it, she would have been able to cure your fellow," Duncan cut her off "And I can sense that was not the case. The corruption that afflicts the mirror is the same that befell her."

"And probably your friend as well," Aedan told Lyna, gaining a glare from her.

Now it was Duncan's time to be confused: "What friend?"

"I didn't come here alone," Lyna explained "There was another with me: my friend Tamlen. Did you..." she hesitated a moment before finishing "...come across him?"

Duncan, hearing the news, attempted to recollect if there had been signs of the presence of another elf in the cave, but came empty-handed.

"When you were affected by the mirror..." he began, in an attempt to understand what might have happened "Was it you who touched it?"

"No," Lyna replied "I tried to stop him when he tried but..."

Duncan sighed, realizing what was Tamlen's fate.

"What?" Lyna stated, her face worried by that reaction.

"He's gone," Duncan explained.

"What?" she shouted.

"You were not directly hit and only survived thanks to your Keeper's magic. He was directly hit and was left here for two days. He could not have made it."

"You can't know that!" Lyna vehemently protested "He could..."

"No, he couldn't," Duncan said apologetically.

"You..." Lyna made to lunge at him, but was stopped by Aedan's grab.

"What are you doing?" she shouted at the Warden-recruit.

"Keeping you from doing a mistake," he replied coolly "You won't get anything from beating anyone,"

"Aedan is right," Duncan added "There is nothing that can be done for your friend. I'm sorry."

Lyna lowered her head at those words.

"We will return to the camp, soon," Duncan said before turning back to the mirror and drawing one of his dagger "I'll only take one more moment."

"No, wait!" Merrill, realizing what he was about to do, cried, but to no avail.

Within moments, the Warden-Commander raised his weapon and then slashed, fragments of the elven artifact falling at his feet.

* * *

"...and your other hunter was nowhere to be found," Duncan said as he finished reporting what transpired to the Keeper "If he still lives, it won't be for long."

"I see," Marethari sighed mournfully at the news "For what it's worth, I appreciate the help you and your fellow gave us in this matter."

"I only apologize I couldn't bring better news,"

"How does Lyna fare?" the Keeper asked as she glanced at her charge being comforted by Merrill and Fenarel, under Aedan's eyes.

"She hasn't said anything since I told her," Duncan stated while also glancing at the huntress "She didn't protest at the mirror's destruction, unlike your First, so I would assume she understood the danger it posed. But beyond that, I don't know."

Marethari sighed again, before stating: "You said you might know a way to at least save _her_. Is it a cure of some sorts?"

"Not exactly," Duncan replied "As you know, Grey Wardens are immune to the Darkspawn. The only way to prevent the taint from consuming her is to give her access to that immunity."

"Meaning you...?"

"Yes."

As the elder leader of the Dalish crossed her arms in meditation, Duncan began to wonder whether she would accept his offer and hoped she would not force him to use the Right of Conscription, as the need of new recruits was too great to ignore.

His thoughts were interrupted when Marethari sighed: "We lost a fragment of our history to the Darkspawn long ago, but only learned of that today, sacrificing two of our own people. This is a sad day."

After a pause, from which Duncan expected a refusal, the Keeper added: "I agree to your terms. But I wish to be present when you tell her."

"As you wish," Duncan conceeded, mentally taking a sigh of relief for the answer.

The two elders then went to the four youths assembled together.

Aedan was the first to notice the two as he steadied himself, and the elves followed suit.

Marethari then dismissed Fenarel and Merrill, before turning to Lyna.

The girl's eyes were red from held back tears and her face was visibly distraught.

"I'm sorry for Tamlen, Lyna," Marethari began "I know he was important to you."

Lyna did not reply and just sniffed at that.

"But there is still the matter of you and your illness," Duncan added.

Lyna made the gesture to wipe her eyes and replied: "I was told you had a cure."

"Not an actual cure, no," Duncan replied "But the taint can be stopped from consuming you by giving you immunity to it. But that is only possible by making you a Grey Warden."

Both Aedan's and Lyna's eyes widened at that information.

"What?" Lyna said.

"Are you serious?" Aedan asked.

"I'm always serious on this kind of matters, Aedan," Duncan scolded his recruit.

"But I can't!" Lyna protested "I can't leave the clan! Especially not now!"

"There isn't much choice," Marethari intervened "I can only help so much against the taint."

"And I'll be frank with you," Duncan added "If it is left unchecked, it will spread and you will die. And it will likely be a long and painful death."

Lyna quieted down at hearing that.

"There are two things you can do," Duncan continued "Either remain with your friends for as long as the taint allows you, or leave them and come with me and Aedan to Ostagar, where you will be made a Warden."

Lyna swallowed hard after those words.

"Keeper?" she hesitantly asked Marethari.

"The choice is yours," the mage answered.

Lyna lowered her head, reflecting on what to do.

The options presented to her were both unpleasant: either dying in agony or abandoning Ashalle, Marethari, Fenarel, Merrill and all her friends - people she knew since childhood - forever to join the ranks of a shemlen group.

Trying to decide the less bad deal, she reflected on how everyone else would have reacted in the two scenarios.

And although most would have probably felt her absence if she left, the other option was worst, forcing those she cared about to witness what was probably going to be days of agony before an excruciating death.

Once she raised her head to talk again, her decision was made.

"I...accept."

* * *

**Aaaaand, that's it for now.**

**Yes, we shifted from Natia and Abana for now, but I assure you they'll be coming back in next chapter.**

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter and see you next time.**


	6. Chapter 6-On the road

**So...here's chapter 6 of this story.**

**I know, I know. It's been a looooong time since the last one. That is a topic I'd like to talk about in the author's note at the end.**

**For now, good read.**

* * *

Aedan, Erman and Duncan watched as the funeral of the fallen hunter Tamlen proceeded.

Keeper Marethari had stated that usually, a funeral would involve burying the dead's body and plant a tree over the gravesite, as a sign to say 'life generating from death'. Without Tamlen's body, however, his funeral would consist of only planting the tree.

The two Wardens had agreed to remain with Lyna long enough for her to say goodbye to her fellow and to everyone else.

Aedan, however, could not keep his concerns to himself.

"Are you sure recruiting her has been a good idea?" he whispered to Duncan.

"The fact that she was able to reach those ruins and fight genlocks even while sick makes me confident she's more than capable to pass the Joining," Duncan whispered back.

"Her skills are not what concerns me," Aedan replied "As far as I've seen she's not fond of humans, to put it mildly. Since right now there aren't many non-humans in the Wardens, I fear she may not fit in."

"She's not the first recruit who hated someone - be them humans, elves or dwarves," Duncan reassured him "She'll manage, I assure you."

Aedan wasn't convinced by the Commander's words but decided not to rebuke.

By the time the sun began to rise, Lyna came to them, accompanied by an older woman.

"Are you ready?" Duncan asked her

Lyna merely nodded in response.

"Then it is time," Duncan stated "We leave for Ostagar now."

Lyna turned to the other woman one last moment and stated mournfully: "Goodbye, Ashalle."

"Goodbye, Lyna," the older woman stated, tears forming in her eyes.

After the exchange, Lyna turned back to the two Wardens and followed them.

* * *

Abana and Natia proceeded across the shores of Lake Calenhad when suddenly the elder Warden commanded Fangs to stop.

"Something wrong?" Natia asked at the sudden gesture.

"No," Abana replied "See the tower over there?" she added pointing in the direction of the lake.

Looking in that direction, Natia saw a tall construction erecting from a islet several meters away from them.

"Is that the Circle?" Natia asked.

"Yes," Abana confirmed "Not far from here there's a small port with the ships to get there."

"Is that where we're going?"

"Not yet. First of all..."

Abana did not finish the sentence and instead raised a hand and threw a fireball in the sky.

Natia was confused by that action right in front of the Circle: "What are you doing? Are we supposed to get caught by the Templars?"

Abana sighed in response: "One, the Templars have no jurisdiction over us. As I explained quite a while ago..."

Natia blushed in response.

"And two, I was supposed to do that to inform the other Warden of our arrival. He, in turn, was supposed to answer with an enchanted arrow he had."

As if in response to her words, a light flew up towards the sky, and Natia managed to distinguish the shape of an arrow just below it.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Yes," Abana confirmed as she drew Fangs' reins again "To the port!"

A minute later they arrived at what Abana had called 'the port': a simple bridge with a wood construct tied to it and a man near it.

"Not to be a smartass," Natia commented "But from what you told me, I thought ports were bigger."

"And you are right, girl," Abana replied "I thought the templars kept more than a single dock in case they had to move in force, but I guess I was wrong."

She hopped off Fangs right after and, as she grabbed Natia, added: "No matter. Let's find the other Warden and leave as soon as possible."

"Anywhere in particular we're looking?" Natia asked

"That tavern over there," Abana replied pointing at another wood construction on the side opposite to the lake

"So that's a surface tavern, uh?" Natia commented "Isn't wood a bit unpractical?"

"True, but it's cheaper than other materials."

After saying that, Abana turned to her mount and placed a hand over its face.

"You wait for us here my friend, alright?" she said.

Fangs groaned to that.

"Don't worry, this won't take long."

After the exchange, Abana headed towards the tavern, followed by Natia.

"So, how will we recognize this other Warden?" the dwarf asked.

"The only mages that pass through here are usually escorted by templars," Abana explained "If we find any here without that kind of escort, they are most likely a new recruit."

"And if he didn't get one?"

"He had been told to expect one of my race, so that should be enough on his part."

As the two entered, all the present clients immediately turned at the sight of Abana, all with eyes full of surprise or fright.

"Ignore them," Abana whispered to Natia as they walked through the tables.

"Warden Ryan?" she asked as they stopped next to one where a bearded man, wearing an armor similar to Abana's - including the logo - and armed with a bow, and a blonde girl, dressed in a yellow and blue robe and holding a staff that resembled Abana's, were sitting.

"That's me," the man replied "And you must be Warden Abana," he added.

Abana nodded at the statement and 'Warden Ryan' offered a hand while saying "Pleased to meet you."

Abana shook his hand before turning to the mage.

Natia immediately noticed two things about this girl. The first was that she had to be an elf, judging by the pointed ears. The second was that she was staring at Abana with a look full of fear.

"I see your efforts at the tower were successful," Abana commented.

"So were yours in Orzammar, I see," the Warden commented back as he turned to Natia "Greetings, girl. Might I know your name?"

"Natia Brosca," Natia introduced herself before turning to the blonde "And you?"

"Uh?" she replied, breaking her state of stare "Oh, sorry. Neria Surana," she bowed her head "I'm honored, Grey Wardens."

"I already told you Neria, you don't have to be so formal, you're one of us now," Ryan told her.

"But..." Neria tried to reply

"No 'buts', girl," Abana cut her off "You are not in the Circle anymore."

Neria turned back at Abana and, after swallowing, replied "Un...understood," with her body shaking a lot.

Seeing the scene, Natia couldn't help but believe the mage either was a wimp or had had little to no contact with people to be this timid.

"Ahem," Ryan broke the silence "Before we leave, may I offer you ladies a drink?"

"No," Abana replied "My presence alone draws too much unnecessary attention to us all. And we have to be at Ostagar by the time Commander Duncan arrives."

"Who?" Neria asked.

"Commander Duncan," Ryan explained to her "The leader of the Wardens here in Ferelden. He was on a recruitment run at Highever, and now he's heading to Ostagar. Same as us."

"Wait a moment," Abana interrupted him confused "What about his stop at Denerim?"

"You haven't heard?"

Abana shook her head.

"Well, he didn't say the specifics, but unexpected developments forced him to skip it and head directly to Ostagar."

"Fuck!" Abana cursed "I sent my report to the royal palace!"

"Well, you can explain once we're there in person, no need to get mad."

Abana took a moment to sigh "You're right. But this is another reason for us not to linger here."

"Recruits," she added as she looked at Natia and Neria "Let's go."

* * *

"Here we are," Duncan announced as he and his two recruits arrived at the old Tevinter road, as he had hoped.

"What is this?" Lyna asked, curious at seeing the ancient construction.

"This is the Imperial Highway," Aedan explained "Once upon a time, it was an internationally-spanning road that connected all the southern territories of the Tevinter Imperium. Today, many sections have been destroyed, but travellers in search of a quick road still follow it."

"So a Tevinter monument?" Lyna said mockingly "Good to know you shemlen think so high of them and how they exploited my people."

Aedan snorted: "That is _not_ the point. It was already here, and making the best out of it is better than destroying it."

"Sure. It's always what's more convenient to you that comes first. Without considering what it represents."

"Enough," Duncan interrupted them.

He also had to repress a sigh, since it wasn't the first time during their journey that an apparently trivial matter had developed into an argument over the elves' history.

The worst part was that those arguments were the only instances in which the two interacted, while for the rest of the time they remained in spiteful silence to one another.

A situation that he could not allow to continue if they were to work together as Wardens.

But first things first.

"Following the Highway towards the south will lead us to a village called Lothering," the Warden-Commander explained "We will regroup with other Wardens there and then Ostagar is only a couple of days away."

"How far is Lothering?" Aedan asked.

"Not much. But I doubt we'll arrive before tomorrow."

Duncan quickly glanced at the darknening sky before adding: "And considering we'll have to camp soon, it might even be two days."

"Then we should make the most of what remains," Lyna commented while looking at her paler and paler hands.

"Agreed," Duncan said "Let us press forward."

The three Wardens and Erman followed the Highway's path for a little longer but, as Duncan had expected, it wasn't long before the night came.

They set up the camp and mounted their tents around a fire quickly and consumed the dried meats Duncan carried, never sharing a word.

When the time came to organize the watch turns, however, Duncan thought of a way he could try to placate the tensions between his recruits.

"Lyna?" he asked the Dalish elf "I need to ask a favour of you."

"Which is?" she replied drily.

"For tonight, would you like to take the first watch?"

Both she and Aedan looked surprised at the request, as usually it was Duncan who took the first watch and then Aedan.

But Duncan did not expect it to be a problem as Lyna, during all the nights of their travel, had always woken up at one point, claiming to have nightmares of digging underground tunnels, marching trough a forest of dead trees or watching a dragon lead a horde of monsters.

All probably signs of her link with the hive mind of the Darkspawn, but it was not the time to fully reveal their true nature. Not yet.

"Uhm...ok," Lyna predictably replied.

"Excellent."

"What about me?" Aedan asked "Should I take the second?"

"If you wish," Duncan conceded.

Not long after, the two humans retired to their tents.

Duncan, however, only pretended to fall asleep, and lied waiting.

As he had expected, it wasn't long before Aedan began breathing heavily.

After a bit of that, he also heard the sound of steps going in the direction of Aedan's tent, which he guessed belonged to Lyna.

After the steps, there were a few moments of silence and then came the sound of Aedan's sword being unsheathed and a growl from Erman.

When the Mabari stopped his growling, Aedan angrily asked: "What the hell are _you_ doing in my tent?"

"I don't answer very well to a sword pointed to my chest," Lyna replied.

Short after that, there was the sound of the sword being resheathed.

Aedan then said: "I'll ask again: what are you doing here?"

"I heard you were breathing heavily and came to check out of curiosity," Lyna explained "Would have left sooner if I hadn't noticed you were also babbling. Didn't think I'd risk getting impaled."

Duncan remained impressed by Lyna's hearing as he had not noticed Aedan was talking.

"Babbling?" he asked bewildered.

"More like whispering. All I got were names amidst a series of 'no'. These 'Oren' and 'Oriana' friends of yours?"

"None of your damn business!" Aedan snarled at the question.

"True enough," Lyna snorted after a moment of silence.

Duncan was ready to sigh out of disappointment as he heard more steps, this time leaving Aedan's tent.

But then something else happened.

"They were my sister-in-law and my nephew," Aedan stated.

More silence followed that statement.

"'Were'?" Lyna eventually asked.

"They're dead. Murdered by a man my family considered a friend."

The silence this time was longer than before, and it was broken by a double set of steps, which made Duncan guess they were both going to sit around the fire.

Aedan began a retelling of what had transpired at Highever's castle: how Arl Rendon Howe had betrayed the trust of Teyrn Bryce Cousland, Aedan's father, and slaughtered his family and how he had recruited Aedan.

"Was it really necessary for you to join to be escorted?" Lyna asked

"Duncan said that his duty to the Grey Wardens demanded he arrived at Ostagar with at least one recruit," Aedan explained "It was either me, or we went our separate ways. Me to Ostagar, him to Denerim."

"I understand that, but it still seems unfair."

"If the world were fair, a lot of things would be different. Including both of us being here."

"True."

The two recruits remained quiet a little more before speaking again.

"What do you think you'll do about Howe?" Lyna asked.

"A Cousland puts his duties above all else," Aedan replied "I may no longer be one by right, but I'll always be in spirit. Once the Blight is defeated, I'll see to it that Howe faces justice for his betrayal."

"And if I will not be able to, I will have revenge," Aedan added in an angrier tone.

Lyna sighed after that.

"What?" Aedan asked.

"I know what it feels like to have a family being taken away from you. To an extent at least."

"How so?"

"I lost my parents when I was still a child," Lyna explained "They were from two different clans and had to meet sporadically in secret. During one of their encounters they were ambushed by a band of shemlens. My father was killed and my mother was taken in by the Sabrae.

Lyna took a pause before going on: "After she recovered and gave birth to me, she was overcome by the loss. One day she just...left and wandered into the forest, never to be seen again."

Hearing this for the first time, Duncan felt sorry for his recruit.

"That...must have been hard to find out," Aedan commented.

"I doubt it is as hard as seeing such events transpire," Lyna replied.

The longest silence yet followed their words and Duncan wished he had the means to see what was going on.

"Since I'm already awake, maybe I should take over the watch here, so you can go to sleep," Aedan ultimately said.

"If I manage to," Lyna replied "Good luck."

A set of steps announced Lyna's leave from the fireplace.

Neither of them had said something of the sorts of 'sorry' or 'thank you', but seeing they had found something they could possibly bond over, Duncan could call himself satisfied and closed his eyes, hoping for at least some minutes of rest before the inevitable visions.

* * *

Natia watched bored the discussion the two Wardens had begun right after they'd made camp.

Everything had started with Abana asking for further information about their route towards Lothering and had escalated to a debate about some king and a guy called 'Logan' or something. Nothing that interested her all that much.

It was then that she noticed the elf mage wasn't around anymore and looked around for her.

She was sitting on the edges of the camp and looked somewhere on the horizon.

"_Whatever she's watching has gotta be better than this,_" Natia thought to herself, finally seeing a break from the boring discussion and walking in her direction.

Neria didn't seem to acknowledge her as she sat next to her, but Natia immediately noticed the sad look she had on her face.

"Hey, everything ok?" Natia asked.

"Oh, sorry," the elf suddenly said as she noticed her "I hadn't seen you, miss Brosca."

Natia supressed a laugh at the 'miss' title, with disappointing results.

"What? What did I say?" Neria asked confused.

"Trust me, sweetheart, I wasn't a 'miss' before and I'm not now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, 'Natia' is ok."

"Alright," Neria replied before turning back to watching the horizon.

Natia, trying to figure out what she was observing, asked: "Something interesting you're looking at?"

"I know it is not visble from here," Neria replied in a sad tone "But I was looking in the direction of the Circle's tower."

"Wait, what?" Natia asked, confused by the indication and cursing her persisting inability to orientate on the surface.

"I know it sounds strange, but for me it wasn't exactly the cage other mages might say."

"Is that right?"

"I lived my whole life there and it's also where I learned to use my powers. And where I..." she took a sudden pause "Where I met most of my friends."

The elf remained quiet after stating those words and her face saddened.

"Is something wrong?" Natia asked.

"No," Neria immediately replied, her face turning back to normal

Natia could tell there was more than she was saying, but sensing it was a delicate subject she opted not to press.

"Anyway," Neria continued "Yes, I have fond memories of that place."

"From what I've been told, I'd have figured you'd be glad of not having Templars watching you," Natia commented.

"Well, it is not like they have no reason to exist," Neria replied "People fear magic and not without reason. Little is as dangerous as an untrained mage."

"Isn't that a bit too dramatic?" Natia inquired.

In response, Neria clenched one of her hands, murmurred a word Natia couldn't understand and then reopened the hand, revealing a small orb made of fire within it.

"This is a fireball," Neria explained "It is one of the basic fire spells, but it still takes weeks, if not months, of practice to control it."

"That tiny firework is that hard to conjure?" Natia asked amused.

"It is more than a firework," Neria replied, unaffected by the comment "It can cause an area-wide explosion."

Natia's amusement passed at that comment.

"The reason why it isn't blowing in our faces is because of the lessons of focus and clarity I received," Neria added.

"Something _that_ dangerous is only a _basic_ spell?" Natia asked.

"Yes," Neria confirmed as the fireball disappeared from her hand "Now, do you see what I mean when I say magic is dangerous?"

Natia swallowed at the remark.

"I take what I said back."

Neria smiled at the dwarf's reply.

"I realize we've talked a lot about me," the elf then commented "But what of you? Do you also miss your home?"

"Not really," Natia immediately replied.

"What?" Neria asked shocked.

"Orzammar for me was always anything but a place I liked to call 'home'."

"But..." Neria stumbled, still shocked "Why?"

"What do you know of the castless?"

"Very little, I'm afraid."

Natia sighed at that, even though it was the answer she was expecting.

She spent the following minutes explaining to her fellow recruit the cast system, how it worked, the various types of castes and what she was in the eyes of Orzammar's society. All the while watching Neria's face become more and more astonished.

"This all sounds very...archaic," the mage commented at the end "I can see why you hated it there."

"I know, right?"

"But how did you come in contact with the Grey Wardens?"

"In all honesty?" Natia replied "Sheer luck. Abana saved me from an execution with the conscription."

"Speaking of Abana..." Neria interrupted her, shortly glancing at their backs "Has she...told you anything about her past?"

Natia was confused by the sudden change of subject, but tried to recollect what the Warden had said about herself.

However, Natia realized she had never asked her anything and the only thing she knew was her previous career.

"So?" Neria asked worried.

"She only said she was once a mercenary working in the Free Marches."

The mage looked back at the camp worried.

Seeing the strange reaction regarding Abana, a doubt came to Natia's mind: "You've met her before?"

"No," Neria replied "It's just...well..."

"What?"

"I assume you haven't heard much about the Qunari's society?"

"I get it..." Natia sighed as she understood where the conversation was going "She looks frightening."

"Not exactly," Neria replied "I have read about her people and..." the elf hesitated before continuing: "Well, let's just say they trust magic so little that they keep their own mages in conditions I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"Ah, don't worry," Natia dismissed her worries "Even if she detested magic, what do you expect her to do? Kill you in your sleep?"

"No, but..."

"And besides, you did notice she's a mage too, right?" Natia added, adressing what should have been obvious.

Apparently not so much as Neria looked surprised.

"So she _is_ a mage," was her comment.

"Oh, hell yeah," Natia replied, remembering the ice block she had been frozen in and the stone construct "What did you think the staff was for?"

"I..." Neria hesitated before sighing "I guess I know how to make a fool of myself."

"That you do," Natia commented jokingly.

Both girls shared a quick laugh at that.

The two talked a lot more from that point, both sharing some information about the lives they had had to put behind.

Natia found the information about life in the Circle most interesting, especially how generic Abana had always been about magic and the likes compared to other topics she had talked about.

Neria herself proved to be anything but the whimp she had assumed her to be, but rather a much more positive person than anyone she had ever met.

It was also somewhat of a relief to talk a bit about her old work as a criminal enforcer, which Neria at first took with perplextion but eventually grew to understand.

Eventually, however, they were called back by the two Wardens.

"Well, time to get back," Natia commented as they stood up.

"It has been nice talking with you," Neria told her "Thank you, my friend."

Natia was taken aback by the last word, although she did not show it: "You're...welcome."

Having someone calling her 'friend' felt like a foreign concept to Natia. Up to that point, the only one she had ever come to call like that was Leske, and he had always been someone she could trust as long as he didn't have to choose between his neck and hers. Neria, on the other hand, felt like someone more reliable. In fact, she had some traits that reminded her of Rica.

Despite this, Natia wasn't sure she knew her enough to truly have the trust to consider Neria a friend, despite the conversation they'd just had. But maybe, with time, she could.

* * *

**And here it is. Not sure it came out as good as I hoped, but at one point I was just "I must publish this as soon as possible!"**

**Which brings something I wanted to ask you readers: how do you feel about the fact that each new chapter comes out after so many months apart from the previous?**

**I ask you this because finding the time to properly work on this story is becoming less and less for me. If you think the waiting time is too much, I may be forced to discontinue this but I'd really rather not to.**

**Tell me what you think, this is an important matter for me.**


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